View source for With Great Power: Friday at Dreamation 2010

GM: Kat Miller, running one of the Liberty League adventures, which meant that some of us who'd played before knew the characters.

Michael Capon: John Smith, Perjury's Son. Perjury was a master of illusions, and he created Jon. But John proved too strong willed for his father, and joined the Liberty League, falling in love with Lady Truth.

Me: Justice Patriot, son of The American, deceased superhero and governor.

Michelle: Lady Truth (Francine). The Stalwart's original sidekick, originally disguised as a boy.

That left Justice's sister, Liberty.

Kat: That's cool because now Liberty Belle gets to be an NPC.

Liberty: And I'm not talking to you!

Justice: Huh?

One of Kat's sources for pictures, I think, is The Hero Machine: online machine: pictures of heroes.

Kat says that she has run Buffy with With Great Powers, and it has worked really well on both the Buffy and the Scooby levels.

We were using the rules for what will become the 2nd edition. And, Kat mentioned that there might be a Liberty League Supplement, with multiple versions of the characters. I'm so glad! It feels as if I have been following this imaginary comic book for years!

The PCs and their Aspects:

<pre>
Francine Squire, Earnest's cousin. Lady of Truth
--Hears lies, see through illusion
--The Pure Truth
--His love is read -- but he is not! Francine is in love with John Smith. 
This is her Strife aspect.
--Lies kill

John Smith
--You don't have to be a real man to be a man. One man _can_ make a difference, 
real or not!
--The Illusion -- can also dispel illusions
--His love is real, but he is not! John was in love with Francine. This is his 
Strife aspect.
--Family league

Justice Patriot
--Truth and Justice -- Lady Truth. While I did not designate this Justice's Strife 
Aspect, I think Kat was right to say, about three quarters of the way through, that 
it actually was.
--If not the American, then who? Justice had learned that The American was not really 
his father! But, then, who was? I designated this his Strife aspect.
--Mind over Matter
--The improved V-Filter. Modified by Guardian Angel. Yes, but what does the Red Button do?
</pre>

James Patriot, the American married the Torch of Liberty, and, supposedly, fathered Justice Patriot on her. His archenemy was Dr. Venom. The American and the Stalwart formed the Liberty League. The Stalwart's archenemy was Perjury, and his sidekicks were Francine, and then Earnest.

Guardian Angel was a former intern of Dr. Venom, then one of his test subjects, and then he helped the heroes. He was in love with Liberty Belle.

John was twice disrupted by his father's will, but each time, he came back stronger. Perjury is faelike.

Perjury, Kat decided, wanted a Dynasty of Evil! If John's and Francine's Strife aspects were devastated and then Kat brought them back, this is how they would change:

John Smith: Obedience to my father is the only love I need.
Lady Truth: His (Perjury's) love is Unreal, and I am his Lieutenant.

A Lieutenant is a specialized minion. Silhouette is Perjury's Lieutenant. She's a shapeshifter, like Mystique. Her true shape is an amorphic blob.

First, we had Enrichment scenes, where aspects were primed and conflicts settled with a flip of a card. At this point in the game, jokers were wild for the players. Jokers, 2s, and 3s were wild for the GM.

Lisa: Ooh, the thought balloon! (grabs it, holding it over her head) I wonder if she will explain how to use it!

John Smith went to the Science Museum Exhibit: The Body Human.

Stakes: John wants to become human vs The Exhibit itself becomes unstable due to the use of John's powers.

Both player and GM turned over the same card, the Kings of Diamonds! (There were multiple decks in use.)

Escalation! This meant that the stakes had to expand!

AND: John gains the complete ability to create living illusions VS One of the nearby children begins to fade!

Kat: So, he can make a son!

Michael: Son, daughter, dog, whatever.

Kat: Becoming more and more like your father as we speak!

Michael: King of Clubs

Kat: 4 of Clubs

Michael won, and Kat got both cards.

Francine had a scene with Lady Truth: Can she help me tell if his love is real?

Stakes: Lady Truth's blessing? No:

Francine's powers would expand powers to recognize love VS Lady Truth will withdraw from you until you break up with John -- If you can be so deceived by a mere _illusion_ of love, perhaps you are not what I thought.

But, where did this scene take place?

Michelle: Wherever our hideout is --

Lisa: Headquarters! Headquarters!

Wayne Mason was the Stalwart, so Francine was at Mason Manor.

Kat: Wayne Manor. Justice is roughing it in Wayne Estate.

Francine: John Smith -- he fascinates me.

Lady Truth: Illusions are made to be fascinating. You have perceived that he is not real. I do not see your confusion in this.

And Michelle won the card flip. Francine could now sense love!

Kat: Man, I couldn't have _cursed_ you with that! Your cat? Not liking you!

Justice's scene was with Guardian Angel, aka Gary Allen, who was in love with Justice's sister, Liberty. This allowed me to activate the aspect The V Filter and to try to answer the question: If not the American, than who?

Stakes: He wants to find out that he father's someone he can be proud of VS Actually, it's John Smith pretending to be Gary Allen. John now knows that the American is Not Justice's Father!

Justice: So, what does the Red Button do?

Gary: Just don't press it!

And, Kat won the card flip. I got the cards -- but Justice discovered that he was talking to John, not Gary!

John (trying to explain): It's... all part of an elaborate scheme so Gary can surprise Liberty outside her talk show and propose!

Justice: You cannot tell a soul about this!

John: I wouldn't -- you're part of my family!

Kat: Even if you're not part of your own.

John: It doesn't matter who our father are. It matters who we chose to e.

Justice: Do you think so?

John: Yes.

And now, the GM got her own enrichment scene. It was set in the Wayne Manor Control Room, with Perjury as the butler and Silhouette as the maid.

Stakes: Perjury can make illusions that can fool both lovers -- they're so obsessed with each other that they won't see what's right in front of them! VS They must flee and leave a Clue behind!

The GM draws against herself and keeps the lower card.

Kat won the draw, and said that she now had an Aspect: Improved Illusion. She explained that making it an aspect was the cheat or loophole that allowed her to keep it around even after the scene was over. I think there needs to be a better way.

And we did a second round of enrichment scenes.

My notes get a little confusing here. I think it is Justice who had the stakes: Expose Perjury and Silhoutte vs Discovers _Locked_ Justice Files.

He found the locked files.

Francine looked at a disc labeled "Frankie's Tryout", which contained a film of her audition. For, the Stalwart had held auditions to see who'd get to be his sidekick

Michelle with thought balloon as Francine: And what should I _do_ with this?

But, for this scene, her stakes were: To find a way to make our love work -- find inner strength to reveal more to John vs Overcome by Justice's love for you!

Francine with Thought Balloon: There's just so much I haven't told John about myself! But should I?

Alas, she saw Justice walking by and felt the depths of his love for her, the love he had always had for her!

Kat: Even when he thought you were a boy.

Lisa: Y'know, there's such a thing as Too Much Truth.

Kat: Is there?

Lisa: No, not really.

And John, trying for a second date with Francine, had as his stakes: Perjury can't see through John's illusions vs John is kidnapped by Perjury.

I think John lost this one.

Perjury as Butler: John? What are you doing here?

John: I'm here to see Truth.

Perjury with Thought balloon: You wouldn't know the Truth if it were standing right in front of you, blasted son of mine!

And then, we moved to a fight!

<pre>
PCs' Stakes:
Francine: Better control over new power.
John: Learns healing.
Justice: Reads disc.

Kat's Counterstakes:
Francine leaves with Silhouette! [She's the current lieutenant. 
Not going to be having herself replaced with you!]
John leaves with Perjury!
Justice sees that Perjury's true form resembles him!
</pre>

And, during the fight, Justice realized that "Liberty" was actually Silhouette. But, Francine did not!

Truth yielded, leaves with Silhouette / Liberty Bell.

Michelle: I have dispelled the illusions in my mind.

It was at this point that Kat declared that Justice's Strife aspect really was Truth & Justice. I had been making it suffer to draw more cards, and it just fit the action better. So, we were looking at potential transformations of: I can't have a partner who's incompetent! VS My Supervillain Girlfriend

Silhouette, still disguised as Liberty, went elsewhere in Mason Manor with Francine for another Enrichment scene.

Stakes: He proves to me that he loves me! VS John's love is just a reflection of the love Perjury has for me!

Francine: I'm dating John.

Silhouette / Liberty: Don't you mean Perjury's dating you?

And Kat and Michelle flipped identical cards. Escalation!

And I get control over this love power, because I can't be distracted by every fool who's in love with me! VS And you believe that love _will_ turn Perjury from the path of evil, because there's obviously a little bit of John in him!

And again, the cards were the same! Double Escalation!

Michelle: And we have Perjury's blessing!

Kat: That's! Just! Wrong! You're learning too well, my padawan!

Michelle: Perjury walks me down the aisle!

Kat: Only if you escalate again!

And we have Perjury's Blessing VS Francine gives up the Stalwart's name to make herself less threatening to Perjury.

And again, the cards were the same! Another Escalation!!!!

Kat: No! I am not walking you down the aisle!

Michelle accepted that and proposed something even more extreme.

And Silhouette becomes a changed woman as well! VS Lady of Truth turns her back on you.

Kat: How bad you want it?

Michelle: This bad!

And that was very bad indeed. But, Kat won the card flip.

Michelle: So, all these become mine! I'm gonna need it, without any powers.

Kat: I won -- why don't I feel good about this?

Meanwhile, in Justice's enrichment scene, he decided to confront Perjury and ask point blank if Perjury had fathered him on his mother.

Stakes: Perjury tells the truth VS Perjury lies and says yes.

Perjury: Did I? There have been so many!

Justice: Perjury, for once in your life, tell the truth!

And, I won the card flip.

Perjury: Pardon me, John. This has to be addressed.

Perjury explained that Justice's mother was quite strong, so, when she was in the throes of passion, no ordinary man would do. Yes! She turned to a more evolved man -- Dr. Venom!

Kat: This explains why he didn't need your DNA. He _is_ your DNA!

Perjury: Now, pardon me -- I have to speak to my _real_ son!

And this led to John's enrichment scene.

Stakes: Perjury, feeling his son developing something new, feels pride and compassion VS Perjury no longer wants an obedient illusion -- he wants an obedient son! Give up Francine for your father!

Michelle: Son's blessing for the wedding?

Michael: That's escalation!

Kat: Can I just say this has been one of the ickiest comics I can't stop reading?

Michelle: It is pretty icky, yes!

Kat: That's the last time I pick up a Dark Horse comic -- wait, when's the next one?

Perjury: I understand the lure of the Stalwart. I do not want it to destroy you as it has destroyed me.

And Kat turned over an Ace, defeating Michael's King.

Perjury: I will never let the Stalwart go! She is mine, and if you get in the way, I will have no choice but to crush you. And that would kill me. Do you really want to kill your own father?

And John yielded the woman he loved to his father, while Truth turned her back on Francine, who had abandoned Her.

And, on that all around disturbing note, we ended the session.