9Qs: The League of Ambivalent Alignment, Q4-6

Wow! This part was a lot of fun! The way the plot and action developed was surprising and inspirational, yet it felt like I was reading a classic comic book from my childhood. I give much of the credit to Simon Washbourne's Supers! system for being fast and flexible.

Previously: On the eve of their debut as a fairly dysfunctional super team, Dr. Moonlight, Matterhorn, and Atom Bombshell become trapped in Moonlight's posh neighborhood of Brightside when the mysterious alien Galaxian entraps the entire area in an impenetrable barrier. An energy eddy opens up inside the barrier, and armored warriors emerge, attempting to capture the residents of Brightside. Their leader is determined to find Lucas Luna who is, in reality, Dr. Moonlight, but the attackers don't seem to be aware of that. The trio of supers repel the attack, but the warriors' leader remains...


4. How can the fight be brought to the enemy, gaining ground for the heroic motivation?

Be the player first:
With the foot soldiers vanquished, Dr. Moonlight tells Matterhorn and Atom Bombshell that he wants to get to their unguarded leader standing at the top of the walkway to find out why they're after him. After the fun of beating up the leader's goons the satisfaction that comes with helping others, both newbie supers eagerly charge up the metallic path at the warrior while Dr. Moonlight flies toward the armored aggressor. This could be their big chance to look like awesome heroes!

Be the GM next:
Story Cube: Hand

As Dr. Moonlight approaches, the warrior leader extends a thick arm and waves his armored hand. Dr. Moonlight is thrown backwards by the telekinetic force produced by the warrior's powered glove. The warrior leader then looks at the oncoming Matterhorn and Atom Bombshell, scoffs loudly, and presses something on his other armored hand which makes the walkway begin to quickly retract. The leader jumps back into the eddy.

Be the player once more:
With no choice other than plummeting to their deaths which seriously sucks, Matterhorn and Atom Bombshell hold their collective breath and dive into the eddy. After regaining control of his flight, Dr. Moonlight reluctantly follows.


5. How can any heroic gains from the results of Question 4 suddenly be undermined as new information about the true face/scheme/power of the enemy becomes known?

Be the GM first:
Story Cube: Happy Face (the circle inspired me)
Encounter: Combat

The heroes emerge from the eddy to discover that they have traveled through an interstellar portal and are in a gigantic glass-like sphere. Outside of the sphere can be seen the blackness of space embellished with colorful stars and planets that are clearly not of the Milky Way. In the core of the sphere, the three supers stand upon a single massive crescent-shaped deck filled with alien technology. The armored warrior is at the other end of the deck frantically working controls. After a few seconds, he turns to face the heroes and, now brandishing a glowing red cudgel, charges at them with a guttural roar.

Be the player next:
Urged on by Dr. Moonlight who wants to get a closer look at the alien equipment, Matterhorn and Atom Bombshell charge forward to meet the alien warrior in the middle of the core's deck, but they quickly learn that they are outmatched. With one swipe of his cudgel, the alien knocks out Matterhorn. Then, Atom Bombshell exchanges blows with the warrior, but barely makes a dent in his armor. Meanwhile, Dr. Moonlight uses his Super Brain to understand how the portal works. The alien warrior ultimately uses its telekinetic power glove to shove Atom Bombshell across the core's deck, crashing her into a console. Suddenly cornered, Dr. Moonlight gives the alien a mental moon blast, causing it to surprisingly lose all of its composure instantly and collapse into a raving heap on the core deck floor.

Be the GM once more:
The alien mutters about failing its race...failing to find Lucas Luna...and failing to destroy him...


6. How can the adverse results from Questions 4 and 5 be further intensified, forcing the heroes to commit to a do-or-die course of action in accordance with the heroic motivation?

Be the GM first:
Story Cube: Book
Encounter: Intrigue & Pursuit

The alien continues to mutter about doom and a book and "the coming apocalypse." In between lamentations, it removes some of its armor, revealing a fierce, blue-skinned alien appearance beneath. It further chastises itself, declaring that its behavior is unfitting for a Redeeminator and that those on the way will be ashamed of him.

Be the player next:
Dr. Moonlight casts a low-powered display of the light from his moon suit and asks the alien warrior to explain itself.

Be the GM once more:
The alien states that he is Krudje, the first Redeeminator of the Rigelliax System. He has been tasked to ensure that the 11 Prophecies of Doom recently translated from the Very Big Book of Doom never come to pass. His first assignment was to go to Earth, find Lucas Luna, and kill him, for the First Prophecy states that Lucas Luna will single-handedly destroy the planet Rigelliax IV! Krudje had made a deal with Galaxian: in exchange for a super weapon from Rigelliax, Galaxian was supposed to direct Krudje and his strike force to Lucas Luna. No resistance within the pyramid barrier had been anticipated, but once super-humans defied their search, Krudje had to retreat and call in the Black Armada of Rigelliax II. The Armada is going to use the portal to cross the universe in an instant and obliterate every last atom within the pyramid barrier - that is, all of Brightside - a sloppy solution without definitive proof of the target's death, but, well, desperate times call for desperate particle disintegrations...

Krudje the Redeeminator
Ruthless & Pants-less

Next, the finale, wherein I hope these characters survive. I really like them!