Strikeforce – Building Campaigns pt. 1

Back in the 1980s I had been playing a bunch of superhero RPGs, cutting my teeth on the early editions of Marvel Superheros (TSR) and DC Heroes before getting into Champions. It was there I encountered the sourcebook that would continue to influence my approach to superhero games, world building, and campaigns in general. That book was Aaron Allston’s Strikeforce.

Much of what was first published in Strikeforce became part of the DNA of future editions of Champions and even recently got a rerelease with further content from other creators who were also influenced by this book. Out of those 96 pages, about 60 were stats for heroes, villains, supporting cast, and equipment, another 6 were indexes and maps, and the remaining 30 chock full of advice still worth reviewing.

Characters for the Long Run – Campaigning Requires Sustainable Interest

The first part deals with a discussion of comic book tropes and tropes, identifying ones that don’t work well in an RPG sessions, how to ruin your campaign, and a discussion about house rules and options to support the feel that they were looking for in their home game. Great stuff but the best part for me in this section was the list of player types and a character creation checklist. The player types wasn’t about the combat roles but about player motivation. These days we usually refer to these as player hooks, but these go a little further in broad strokes describing what the player is looking to get out of the game (and in a few cases why you don’t want that playstyle at your table).

• The Builder – to have a lasting impact on the world, creating institutions or changing society, these are the things that make the Builder happy. In a fantasy world, this is the player looking to start a wizard college or build a tavern. I’d even go even further as to include building a legacy, often through a sidekick / successor.
• The Buddy – comes to gaming to be part of the gang but starts off with no real interest in the game itself. Most Buddies do have something that they are interested in, but the challenge is to find what that interest is to draw them in. Sometimes its as simple as finding a way that they can help others. Keep an eye open for when something happens that the Buddy actually cares about and build from there. I had a player that joined our table because they were dating one of our regular players. I found out later that the thing that hooked her wasn’t the power fantasy or fantastic world design; it was that the GM had sad “yes, and” to their character ordering a fancy drink with a small sword and umbrella in it. Then in the next game, it was having an animal companion that kept them coming back for more.
• The Combat Monster – is there to fight, fight, and fight some more. If there is no combat, the CM will not be happy. Some are more tactical in what they want, loving those big fights where they can use all their fighting abilities, while others just want to be successful in hitting things. Knowing the difference can save you as GM prep time. There is a difference between the Combat Monster and the Mad Slasher but sometimes they do overlap and that will make a difference to how they interact with the lethality of the genre and tone being set.
• The Genre Fiend – is all about the tropes and conventions, finding joy when the game mirrors the books and movies. Be prepared to include a few of those conventions and don’t be afraid to subvert them occasionally – that in itself is a common trope.
• The Copier – wants to recreate something they saw or read and there is nothing wrong with that. The challenge is when the Copier expects for things to turn out the same way for them as it does for the original. It’s useful for the GM and Copier to have a chat about what expectations are going to work within the scope and mechanics of the game at the table.
• The Mad Slasher – uses the game as an outlet to kill and destroy the things that get in their way, be it the villain or a wall or a mouthy bystander. Depending on what kind of game you want at your table, this can be a struggle. It has some overlap with the Combat Monster, but the Mad Slasher doesn’t just want to overcome an obstacle – they want it dead or eliminated.
• The Mad Thinker – wants to outsmart the problem, be it a trap or a big bad evil boss. Sometimes this cleverness will slow things down as they try to concoct the perfect plan and spring it on the GM. Puzzles and problems are their jam, but it can be a difficult balance between the Mad Thinker and keeping things engaging for the rest of your group.
• The Plumber – is all about plumbing the depths of their finely crafted character, to fully realize the moral dilemmas and emotional range. When those beats happen in the game session, try to give the Plumber the opportunity to express themselves. You might also need to be prepared for side plots and blue booking (more on that later).
• The Pro From Dover – is the best at what they do and thrills in opportunities to demonstrate their mastery. When an NPC or PC shows up who is better than them, the Pro will be frustrated at their moment to shine being taken away, but when they get to show up that rival it’s a moment to crow. Look for opportunities for the Pro to do what they do best.
• The Romantic – is all about building relationships, not just romance but rivals and recurring NPCs and family members and so on. This player finds joy in establishing a relationship with a returning NPC that interested them.
• The Rules Exploiter – is more than a min-maxer. They see the game as a challenge to be beaten through exploiting rules, loopholes, and that thing they saw on Tik-Tok. Often they seek to redesign their character to optimize each aspect they can.
• The Showoff – wants the spotlight as much as possible. If another character is in the spotlight, they will often try to insert themself into the action or insist that their idea is the best solution. Without restraint, this is a problem player. With a little work, the Showoff can become a great supporter of helping others get into the action but still really loves it when they get their Moment.
• The Tragedian – is like the Plumber but all about the tragedy and betrayal and all the other catastrophes, like some Shakespearian hero beset on all sides.

By the book’s admission, this isn’t an exhaustive list and players aren’t always going to fall into one and only one these archetypes. Some will explore different playstyles and others will bounce between one or more. You might have that one player who just keeps recycling the same concept to keep getting that emotional hit,