Action Scene: Hydra Attacks in Washington D.C.

As promised, here was the second of three lead-up Action Scenes for our Act I. In this scene, the escaped Mentallo leads a force to attack the Federal Reserve HQ in Wash. D.C. As you'll see, it doesn't turn out the way he had planned, but things get out of hand quickly. The stats for Mentallo can be found on BR43. The SHIELD Operatives' stats are included below.

Act I of Civil War: Furious Avengers

Action Scene: Hydra Attacks the Federal Reserve

On a late Friday afternoon, a group of Hydra troopers are dropped off along Henry Bacon Dr. in WDC. Lastly, a figure in a red jump suit with tinted head gear--Mentallo--also steps out of the back of the van. Moving quickly across the well-kept lawn, the cadre moves along a side-street towards 21st St, towards a side door of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors building. As they approach, three men unload a delivery truck of paper and office supplies. Mentallo motions for two of his hydra agents to move eliminate the bystanders. With gun-shots in the background of the next panel, Mentallo motions for his last troopers to unlock the entrance door, and sneak into the reserve to set the bomb packs strapped to their backs. They unlock the door, then shoot the security guards inside with their silenced rifles.

Suddenly, gun-shots ring out, laying down the four hydra troopers on the ground. Turning around, Mentallo, now sees the unloaders are really SHIELD agents. Thinking on his feet, Mentallo uses his mental abilities to deceive the agents into believing he has already rushed inside the building. Sprinting inside at breakneck speed, the agents don't have time to notice, Mentallo has actually remained behind to pick up a bomb-pack, proceeding to follow the last of the three into the vacant halls of the FR.

When the heroes make their way into the building, Mentallo has mind controlled two of the agents. The third lays unconscious--possibly dead--at an intersection in the hallway.

Controlled SHIELD Operative

Solo d8 Buddy d66 Team d4

Crack-Trained Agent of SHIELD Mind Controlled

SHIELD issued Agent Gear

Pistol Firearm d6 Body Armor d6 Disguises d6

SFX: Double-Tap: Step up or double Firearm die against a single target. Remove the highest rolling die and add 3 dice for your total.

Limit: Gear, add a d6 or step an doom die to shutdown SHIELD issued Agent gear.

Combat Expert d8 Tech Expert d8 Vehicle Expert d8

Complication: d12 Mind Control (Persistent).

Players can be incorporated much in the same way as the first lead in scene. Prompting the heroes with, "Why are you in Washington DC? Who are you visiting? What villain plot are you foiling? Which big-wig invited you to DC in anticipation of the SHRA?" From there, the Watcher can help get them to the exterior of the building and on scene.

The hallways are eerily silent inside the reserve. When the heroes eventually find Mentallo and his brain-washed Operative body-guards, he is setting the timer on the bomb which he has placed on the directors' table in the board room. One of the operatives stands watch while the other uses furniture to barricade all but one set of double doors. Depending on the Watcher's preference, the board could be in session or empty.

Distinctions on the Floor:

Overturned Board Room Chairs      American Flags      Colossal Board Table

Tactics: Mentallo will try to ditch in the chance that either the bomb is set to blow within two rounds, or if both of his SHIELD captives have been incapacitated. It takes 1 full action to set the bomb--although he does not need to roll against anything. His get-away plan was to sneak quietly into a manhole cover outside the building. If this exit strategy is covered, he will try to utilize a jet-pak (Flight d6) to fly towards the coast and the ocean where a hydra sub awaits. He has little concern for the well-being of the SHIELD operatives. 

House Rules

A quick list of a few house rules we've been using for our Marvel Heroic campaign:
Using Two Distinctions:

     - A player can use both a character distinction and a scene distinction if they both narratively work. One must be used as a d8 and the other as d4.

Scene Complications:

     - At the set up or anytime during the scene, the Watcher can spend a Doom Die to create a complication assigned to the scene equal to the spent Doom Die. This is an expansion on the CW suggested rule. 

Ascending/Descending Assets and Complications:

     - In certain circumstances, it does not make sense for an asset or complication to last until the end of the scene, though players would like it to last longer than one use (e.g. "Frozen Feet" complication, "Tranquilizer Dart" complication). Ascending Assets are rather rare and most likely occur with elemental control powers. Descending Assets and Complications only cost 1 PP or 1 Doom Die of equal value. To make them ascending, the player must spend 2 PP or 1 Doom Die of equal size to the original trait and a d6 from the Doom Pool.

For the past few months, I have started a Marvel Heroic campaign. After playing a session with a friend, I enjoyed enough to purchase the operations manual and Civil War event book. We started off with some custom characters using the Margaret Weiss' random char. generator: http://www.margaretweis.com/component/content/article/17-downloads/36-bonus-content-updated.

From there, we dived into the Civil War event book: 

This event book provides great scene ideas while also giving options as jumping off points for all original scenes. Here is one of our opening scenes to get the people of the United States thinking about registration. (Disclaimer: we decided not to worry about continuity too heavily).

Act I of Civil War: Furious Avengers

Action Scene: The Hulk's Night Out in NYC

The throw-down of this scene finds Bruce Banner stuck in traffic at Times Square. After a Broadway play with his new lab assistant, Dr. Ashley Rutgers, Banner's limo becomes the target of paid assassin Bullseye's M-16. Bullseye has been paid by a foreign terrorist group to force the Hulk into rampage ending at the UN building a few blocks away. In the intro of the scene, Bullseye targets the car, badly wounding Dr. Rutgers who is now bleeding out. Bullseye then jumps onto his motorcycle that was hidden behind a fake Times Square sidewalk show. Enter our heroes. Banner "Hulk's" out and gives chase, all the while carrying Dr. Rutgers King Kong style.

THE HULK

Solo D10     Buddy D8     Team D6     

Man or Monster?     Engine of Destruction     Green Goliath

GAMMA-CHARGED GENETICS

Enhanced Reflexes: D8      Godlike Durability: D12     Godlike Stamina: D12      Godlike Strength: D12

Leaping: D10     Mystic Sense: D6

SFX: Area Attack: Against multiple targets, for each additional target add a d6 and keep an additional effect die.

Rage-Fueled Might: Spend a die equal to your emotional stress to the doom pool to include your emotional stress in your next action. If your opponent includes your emotional stress in a reaction dice pool, step it up.

Healing Factor: Spend D8 to recover your physical stress and step back physical trauma.

Hulk Smash!: Against a single opponent, double a Gamma-Charged Genetics die. Remove the highest-rolling die and add another die to your total.

Strongest There Is: In a reaction against an opponent using a Strength power trait, spend D6 from the DoomPool or step up your emotional stress to add a die equal to the opponent's Strength to your dice pool.

Limit: Growing Dread: If a pool includes a GAMMA-CHARGED GENETICS power, both 1s and 2s on those dice count as opportunities, but only 1s are excluded from being used for totals or effect dice."

Puny Banner: When you recover all of your emotional stress and trauma, shudown Gamma-Charged Genetics and revert to Banner. Take emotional stress to recover Gamma-Charged Genetics.

     BRUCE BANNER
     Solo: D10    Buddy: D8     Team: D6
     Don't Make Me Angry     Sarcastic Genius
     Specialties: Cosmic Expert: D8     Covert Expert: D8     Medical Master: D10     Science Master: D10

     Tech Master: D10

Specialties: Combat Expert: D8     Menace Master: D10

The Run-Down

Broken down into five rounds, this scene should take 45-60 minutes to run. PC's are assumed to be somewhere near Times Square when they either see or hear the gunshots ring out. Perhaps they see it happen? The most effective tact for this scene is asking the player, "It's a fall Friday night in downtown NYC. Why is your hero there, and what is he/she doing?" Possible answers: patrolling in uniform; eating out in a nearby restaurant; working late in my lab/HQ when I hear the alert on my police scanner. Watcher gives the first action to whomever she wishes, and so begins Round 1.

Round 1: Bullseye will goad the Hulk into fighting him atop the UN HQ building. The first portion of the fight happens along 42nd st as Hulk gives chase (while carrying Ashley) with the Heroes in tow, following Bullseye on his motorcycle. During the next few rounds, Bullseye will attack Hulk with emotional stress. (As the Watcher, you don't have to roll Bullseye's attacks, but if you want the chance involved, go for it!). Our heroes on the other hand, if they want to talk Hulk down, would make Emotional attacks on Hulk's emotional stress to reduce it as per healing and recovery rules in the op's manual (include Hulk's Emo. stress die in your DP rolls against the recovery actions). Of course, they could always try their own methods instead.

Distinctions:

Frightened Pedestrians     Swarming Squad Cars     Low Hanging Trees and Bridge

When he arrives at the UN building, Bullseye will carry out his objective, luring the Hulk into destroying the UN HQ during a UN/International Celebrity banquet which is being held in a scenic ballroom with an NYC view on the 12th floor. Guests of the banquet include personalities like Bono, Ted Turner, and Tony Stark.

Round 2: Depending on what the heroes have done previously, Bullseye arrives at the UN building on this round. Approaching the building he revs up full speed, driving head on at its front wall, driving the motorcycle up the wall about 20ft until it stalls. Then lifting off the motorcycle, he runs a few steps up and begins to climb up the outer wall towards the top. Close behind, the Hulk leaps into an intersection, getting hit by a car. He takes a moment to smack the car off of him, dropping Dr. Rutgers into the intersection, and heads back towards Bullseye bounding off to the UN building as well. At any point in the fight, the Hulk may retaliate against attacking heroes, but Bullseye must make sure the Green monster does not remain distracted for long--whatever it takes.

Round 3: On the Watcher's turn, Bullseye pulls himself up onto the roof, only to be confronted by the Hulk who has jumped onto the roof. Shooting open the roof access door, Bullseye taunts the Hulk into following him down into the UN building. The Hulk Jumps up into the air crashing down into the ballroom where Bullseye crashes through a door a moment later. There Bullseye shoots and fights the Hulk into an even greater rage.

New Distinctions:

Black-Tie Diplomats     Dining Room Tables     Chandelier Lighting

Round 4: By now all our heroes should have caught up and have started bringing the pain. If the Hulk has already been dispatched, Bullseye might try to take a hostage or set off a previously planted device within the building infrastructure--giving the heroes time to save the UN building, of course.

Round 5: Tony Stark has become conspicuously absent, and if the heroes have not yet finished off either foe, Iron Man shows up (CW Event Book p188) and helps the heroes clean up.

Next time, we lead into another build-up action scene in Washington D.C...