|
Post by rjcurrie on Mar 29, 2014 5:25:38 GMT
Not sure I ever paid enough attention to them to really have an opinion.
|
|
|
Post by tikiman on Apr 17, 2014 0:36:50 GMT
I like the Guardians/Champions from the early days. I even like the mediocre-to-poor miniseries; the way the team runs around directionless and leaderless half the time captures the feel of so many game sessions--it's very different from regular comic book super teams. I also like how low-powered they seem compared to standard-issue super teams and later versions of the "Champions." Marksman and Icestar were my favorites; I like Gargoyle from the rulebooks.
Of the later versions, Seeker was fun. Really loathe Defender just because he seems like such a Mary Sue. Jaguar (is that right?) was pretty neat as he showed me how to make a shape-changer. The 5th edition group just seemed like a pale imitation of 4th.
Really the originals had the best flavor for me.
|
|
|
Post by dan2448 on Aug 29, 2014 22:36:35 GMT
I consider the Comic to be a Non-Canon source. Like I said Pictorial fanfic using the Characters that appeared in the Campaigns. Heroic Publishing wasn't ever part of Hero Games. He just briefly had a licence to use the Name on his comic and rights from the owners of the various Guardians PCs to use their characters. Rights that some of the creators of the PC's seemed to revoke at some point (which is why The Marksman was renamed The Huntsman and had a costume color change). Rights issues was also why The Guardians were never the "Official Superhero Team for Champions". I'd definitely consider the comic book series to be non-canon as well. In fact, in several editorials published in various issues of the comic book series in the early 1990s, Dennis Mallonee makes very clear that the comic book and the "Champions" RPG were by then entirely separate. He also makes the point that what he did was license individual characters from individual creators, not the 'Champions Universe' (my paraphrase) from Hero Games. But it wasn't always that way. The distinction between the comic book and the RPG was much more blurred for much of its early history. Not only was the comic book titled "Champions" from its very first issue published in 1986, but a blurb on the cover of the first issue proclaims, "Now the #1 super hero role-playing characters in their own series." That same first issue featured a one page editorial written by Steve Peterson, several pages of "Champions" RPG stats for a few of the characters, and a full page ad for the "Champions" RPG to boot. And, of course, it was written by Dennis Mallonee, who had also written a Champions adventure, "The Coriolis Effect," that Hero Games had published roughly contemporaneously with the comic book, featuring several characters that also became regular characters in the comic book series. And "Champions" game stats for various comic book characters continued to appear in almost every issue published from 1986-1988, through both an initial 6 issue mini-series and a 12 issue regular series (plus an annual). Then the series suffered a two year publishing hiatus. Only when the series resumed publication in 1990, with a new #1 issue retitled "League of Champions," was there a brief reference to a split with Hero Games in a two page editorial. "The comic book immediately transcended its origins, and the current product has cut the last cord to its gaming 'parent,' hence the necessity of the slightly different name." Another 15 issues of the series were published between 1990 and 1993 (notably without any game stats or house ads for the RPG) before it went on hiatus again. Only near the end of that publication run, in an issue dated January 1993, is there an editorial stating, "Bruce Harlick, the creator of the Marksman and Foxbat, has indicated to us that he prefers to withdraw his creations from the world of Flare and the League of Champions." The whole series ceased publication, for what turned out to be over 15 years, just months later. The "League of Champions" comic book series was, amazingly to me, resurrected again by Dennis Mallonee in 2009, after over 15 years' hiatus. And Stacy Thain's Flare and Glen Thain's Icestar still featured prominently. Steve Peterson's Goliath (renamed Giant in the comic) was killed off at the end of the original 1986 "Champions" mini-series. But a new Giant (the character's son) appears in this new issue from 2009 as well. As do Professor Muerte and Icicle. Only Bruce Harlick's Marksman and Foxbat have been replaced (by very similar characters, in my opinion). The most recent issue of "League of Champions" was just published this summer. I'm not entirely sure what the term "pictoral fanfic" connotes. But I would say that, in my personal opinion, the "Champions" and "League of Champions" comic book series largely stayed away from the 'infantilized nymphette' characterization of Flare (and accompanying artwork) that was so notoriously prominent in the issues of her solo series from the 1990s. That was not to my personal taste either. I felt it catered to the lowest common denominator in comic fandom. Oh: after all that about the history of the "Champions" comic book, my favorite character among the Guardians/Champions was the one who never appeared in the comic book: Mark Williams' Gargoyle.
|
|
Pariah
New Member
21st Century Schizoid Dad
Posts: 3
|
Post by Pariah on Jan 9, 2015 15:27:32 GMT
My favorites are the 4th Edition Champions: Defender, Obsidian, Quantum, Solitaire, Jaguar, and Seeker. Yes, even Seeker.
|
|
|
Post by Jazzidemus on Feb 18, 2015 21:27:00 GMT
My personal Favorite was the 4th ed Line-up. I liked Seeker, he seemed the comic relief of the team, in the fluff. I mean c'mon an Australian Ninja who wants to be a Movie star, lol I mean c'mon. My group at one point played the Champions I wanted them to get a feel for the system and how everything worked.
|
|
|
Post by Jazzidemus on Feb 18, 2015 21:53:59 GMT
Oh: after all that about the history of the "Champions" comic book, my favorite character among the Guardians/Champions was the one who never appeared in the comic book: Mark Williams' Gargoyle. I like how when Giant walks back in to HQ and asks Icestar about Gargoyle and why he wasn't there, Icestar just says 'What different does it make.' I just assume Gargoyle was off getting some colon blow to pass that microphone he ate,
|
|
|
Post by tikiman on Feb 19, 2015 0:15:23 GMT
My personal Favorite was the 4th ed Line-up. I liked Seeker, he seemed the comic relief of the team, in the fluff. I mean c'mon an Australian Ninja who wants to be a Movie star, lol I mean c'mon. My group at one point played the Champions I wanted them to get a feel for the system and how everything worked. Seeker wanted to be a movie star? I don't remember that at all. What's your source? I must have missed it. He's certainly better and more original than any of the latterday Champions like Nighthawk.
|
|
|
Post by Jazzidemus on Feb 19, 2015 1:15:16 GMT
I wanna say it was from his updated Bio in Champions Universe, alas which I no longer have. I'm trying to recreate my Champions library after having a duh moment and selling all my books a few years ago. I'm looking through what I have. I may however may be confusing what my Player did as Seeker and the Canon stuff. My game ran 4 years, about 12 years ago.....so i might be confusing things lol.
....OK I have looked and I can't see to find my reference point, I'll keep looking. I may have been wrong.
|
|
|
Post by enforcer84 on Sept 23, 2015 21:28:44 GMT
I don't have a problem with any of them. However - and to be different - here's my ideal team.
Main Team: Leader: Marksman (Guardians) Obsidian (4th Edition) Solitaire (4th Edition) Team Defender (CTNM) Sapphire (5th Ed) Goliath (Guardians) Kinetic (5th Ed)
Though I like Witchcraft, especially the updated version and Rose they fill the same role as Solitaire I barely prefer Sapphire to Flare and Icestar Obsidian is the best of all the bricks. Team Defender works best if he's not going to be leader. I actually like both Quantums and love Gargoyle and would gladly add them but I was holding myself to an Avengers-like Seven.
|
|
|
Post by tomd1969 on Sept 28, 2015 17:53:04 GMT
Witchcraft has always struck me as very bland. Ironclad might as well have been named "Obsidian," as the only difference between the two from a story-telling standpoint is their look and their name. It makes me wonder why Hero Games bothered. And don't even get me started on Chicken Hawk. Having said that, however, I prefer Sapphire to Quantum. I seem to recall that there were rights issues with many of the 4ed Champions: Quantum, Solitaire, Obsidian and with the exception of Sapphire, they seem to me like watered down versions of the originals. Interestingly, no one wanted Seeker.
|
|
misterkarate
Double Digit Master
likes MMA,martial arts movies , catfights and super heroes
Posts: 33
|
Post by misterkarate on Dec 13, 2017 18:02:12 GMT
that seems to be ironic because martial arts are the closest we get to having super powers
|
|