The Fenwick Story

Champions

This is a Champions story from long ago, but I figured I'd set down what I remember of it, so I could point to it. I've referred to this several times over the years, and I want to again.

Preface: I regard combat as integral to superhero roleplaying games. At the point where this story happened, I tried for combat in every session, even if it was "You see a mugger, so you deal with him." In Champions, however, combat can take a long time to play out. (That's why I eventually dumped Champions though I find that combat with my gang often takes a long time to play out, regardless of the system.) The other thing you need to know is that the players are much brighter than I am, so by necessity I evolved to a gamemastering system where I set up a premise and let them go. Though I tried to be railroad-y and present the story, I had to let it go because I couldn't out-think them. This was an important step in that process.

As I recall the setting for the adventure, one or more people were held captive in a RAVEN headquarters. At that time, the concept was that RAVEN funded any number of take-over-the-world schemes, and each one became a RAVEN operation. The intent was, I think, to model spy and superhero stories where there's no consistency between schemes.

Knowing this, the players decided to infiltrate the base as auditors. They made up fake IDs, got clipboards, put on suits, and showed up at the front door of the base. (I believe James Nicoll's character was drafted to play the head auditor, and I'm pretty sure he came up with the name Fenwick.)

“This is Fenwick. From Accounting.”

This tickled me.

“Right. Just a sec while we get the locks and you can come in.”

Sound of muffled, worried consultation. The doors eventually open, and the supreme base leader is there, nervously.

“We'll start at the top and work down. Head office is concerned about how you're spending their money. I'd like a tour of the entire facility.”

At this point, the players have asked them to reveal that everything is on the up-and-up, so the obvious response is that it isn't. I improvise various details, like the laundry room being full because all the sheets are being washed (to hide that they're silk) or that someone had faultily changed the menu in the cafeteria from "TODAY'S SPECIAL: LOBSTER BISQUE" to "TODAY'S SPECIAL: CAMPBELL'S SOUP." The warning “It's Fenwick! From Accounting!” being passed down the corridors.

Frankly, I was having too much fun improvising ways in which this group of bad guys had been ripping off the RAVEN Supreme Command to find a way to shoe-horn combat in there.

Eventually, they found the hostages, and there might maybe have been a bit of combat in getting the hostages out, but I don't think so; I think the players came up with a plan and executed it and the hostages were freed.

Aftermath: Well, someone (I don't remember if it was me or James or maybe someone else) played Fenwick in an adventure later. In Hero games, that means you put all your points into Presence. The line, “It's Fenwick! From Accounting!” happened in our group for a while.

Anyway, that was a session without combat, and it was a ton of fun.

Even though it was a superhero game.