Drop-In Continuity

No, this isn't about some concept called "Drop-In Continuity" (though I might invent that by the end of the post). Instead, having done the first drop-in session, I'm thinking about what the second one will be (tentatively next Wednesday, unless I discover I have to get my wife at the airport).

The constraints are mostly the same:

• Self-contained.
• Finish in 3 hours.
• Provide the rules in small bits for those new to the system. In the last session, I did minion combat, then real combat with some tests, then a fight against a bad guy. While I'm discovering who comes to these things, that seems reasonable: Beat up some thugs, discover that they're the clue to the problem of the week, investigate, fight.

But there's one added, too:

• Have something to deal with returning players that's optional, in cased that player doesn't show.

And, not necessary but desired, drop hints about what the big issue is. I have a couple of big issues in mind, but I should pick one, and that will be the backdrop for this mosaic/arc.

I've already decided that we're not going to find out what happened to the Centurions immediately. Instead, we're going to deal with something else. I've got a mystical idea, a street-level idea, and a science-y idea. Though the background is ripe with cults, I think we might lay a clue to them but not deal with them this next session. So that leaves street-level or more four-colour.

Let's do more four-colour, because Psychosis is a pretty high level character (I watched the rolls as he made the character, so it's all legit...it's just that he's a guy with several level 8 powers). So we have to go more Green Lantern 1970 and less Batman 1985 (but without someone named Pieface).

Okay: I'll prepare a pair of villains; the lesser one might be a lieutenant of the other one or not, but timing I'll do on the fly (if Psychosis is there, then they'll fight together; if not, the lesser villain is an obstacle on the way to the Big Bad).

Saying Green Lantern 1970 makes me think of Hector Hammond and Star Sapphire. The powers might be useful even if the characterization aren't. An energy form with a "remote" to inhabit? That might be a bit too much like the robot last week. Maybe I'll steal an idea from a certain SF author, and it's still an energy form, but it has been raising a specific family to be its hosts. It can take any of their bodies--powers stay the same but there's a slight difference in the body (or they're terribly different because it's been breeding the family for different purposes).

Actually, that sounds like a creepy, cool idea. They don't have to find out the gimmick right away (unless they read this, I guess, but I trust players not to let real-world knowledge interfere).

And the energy being needs some techno thing that has just been developed at Schwartzchild Industries. Even though the family (who should also have their own agendas) has money, it's not enough to get SCI to loan them the quantum electrodynamic wave adjuster or something. So it must be stolen. But first you have to steal the truck that will carry this heavy heavy object, because if you bought it, people might wonder why you just got a truck that can carry X number of tonnes....

Yeah. That's enough to build around.