AlabasterKnight wrote on Jan 24^th, 2011 at 10:33am:


Thanks, AB!   

#143 – Table of Discontents – The vigilantes awake in a desert, where Dr. Morrow’s god-like voice tells them a riddle from the sky.  They journey towards a distant tower, finding themselves assaulted by giant statues that come to life when they draw near.  The heroes enter the castle and become trapped, but quickly break free.  Giant bees check them out, attacking when provoked, and the adventurers realize that they have been shrunk in size, trapped in a tabletop diorama on a kitchen table.  They make their way to an ant farm, fighting their way past the giant beasts down to the egg chamber, where they retrieve a hidden key and the circuit for the missing gadget.  The key allows their escape into the kitchen, where a journey past a household robot and cockroaches leads to a distant countertop.  The circuit powers a miniaturizer device, which they use to restore themselves to normal size.  They travel to Paradise Island in the Bahamas, where Dr. Morrow is found haggling with foreign agents and arrested without incident.

#145 – The Lost Dimension – The Elderess send Dai Oni, Warp, Dr. Desist, Portal, Dr. Mercury, Majestic, G-Force, and Anomaly to Mt. St. Helens in Washington state to assist them in moving Lokilani’s staff.  The World’s Scorned: Dar’kness, Koal, Lokilani, and Vol, show up and a battle erupts.  Vol’s magic is absorbed by Barbarian’s axe, which causes Barbarian to appear.  He speaks of fulfilling a bargain, smashes a globe, and the heroes are transported to a strange world.  They find that, in order to get home, they must overcome 10 separate challenges.  They decipher many riddles and puzzles, overpower superpowered beings, and defeat a Slaughter Droid, advancing through doors to each new obstacle.  At the eighth test, they face a room full of paranormals.

Majestic wrote on Jan 28^th, 2011 at 3:13pm:


These "opponents" were our PCs from another campaign (a grim n' gritty campaign set in the fictional Oregon city of Ravensgate).  It was a fun way for our PCs to fight other PCs from a completely different campaign.  There was no way for the heroes to know the names of these other characters, though, so I left it vague in the summary.

Wow, how often do you play?  You update almost every day.

#148 – The Island of Doktor Mordred – Two Defense Intelligence Agency operatives, Agents Parcher and Witz, brief Dr. Desist, Entropy, Portal, G-Force, Warp, Dai Oni, Majestic, and Dr. Mercury at their new base.  The group flies to the island nation of Haqal-Uugiyyi in the Arabian Sea to apprehend two war criminal scientists: Nazi Doctor Mordred von Klapsch, and Serbian Professor Magnesium.  The Guardians invade a bunker, demolishing mercenary soldiers and the Emir’s personal guard, and capturing Professor Magnesium, but thermite charges destroy all evidence of the research being done there.  Witz (an Israeli Mossad agent) executes von Klapsch and disappears, and the team discovers that they have been duped; no record of Parcher can be found.  The heroes recover a large amount of titanium from the compound, and receive an explanatory email from Agent Witz.  The seized metal allows them to purchase their new base from the government.

#150 – MASTERless Menace – After about a month of rest and recuperation, the Guardians say a final goodbye to Kodiak and begin the journey home in a Gwai’ir starship.  Technology onboard allows them to work on inventions, and the trip takes another month to cover the vast distance between the two worlds.  On Earth, an armada of MASTER space pirates lays siege to the planet, and Beijing, Rio de Janeiro, and Madrid are totally obliterated!  Crocodile, Quiasar and other superheroes and supervillains resist the invaders, but the enemy wipes out thousands of people.  The team portals to Space Station One; Dr. Desist departs for the planet as the others enter the pirate-controlled space station.  The vigilantes trounce multiple Slaughter Droids and numerous space pirates, taking command of the Security Room.  Dr. Mercury boosts his Intelligence with many Smart Pills, and feeds two viruses into the station’s computer system: one directs the Slaughter Droids to attack the pirates, the other sends the armada away.  Everything suddenly goes black for the heroes, and they awake to find themselves in Machu Picchu, about six hours after they first arrived there.  Time appears to have been altered, and Earth was not ravaged by MASTER, but they still have memories up until departing the Gwai’ir homeworld.  In addition, they still have their inventions, and Dr. Mercury retains his brilliance, but they don’t remember the events of the last month and G-Force’s recordings of the events show eight hours of nothing.  Puzzled, the team returns home.

Issue #151 started what seems like a new era for the team, now looking back on it.  It introduced Kubera (he's the "mysterious defender" mentioned in the Epilogue, who first was known as USA Defender), who is still with the team (and is now one of the most experienced characters in the campaign at Level 22).  Portal just recently went on an adventure (Into the Sub-Realm), G-Force (who changed into Neutron) has been a regular on the team for most of the years since (and just left the group), Dai Oni (who is now Kageryu) and Majestic both just returned to the Guardians, Dr. Mercury is now the King of C.H.E.S.S., Warp (who had been gone for years) just joined us in our latest mission, Mischief was a regular for most of the years since this issue (but has been inactive for a year or so) and L-Force (renamed Surge) has left Earth on a ship with his own race (the Gwai'ir, as referenced in #149 and #150).

Hard to believe that so much has changed in about 8 years (issue #151 took place in September of 2002)!

#152 – The Secrets of BioDyne – C.H.E.S.S. informs G-Force, Majestic, and Dr. Mercury about Project: Equalizer and the secret past of BioDyne CEO Katherine Harris, asking the Guardians to investigate the break-in.  While others on the team focus on past and present employees, Dr. Mercury befriends and questions Harris’ young crippled son Jay, a robotics prodigy working on the project.  Warp checks on Intercrime, while Dai Oni finds that the break-in targeted Katherine.  Portal and Entropy, accompanied by Dr. Desist and Quiasar, pay a visit to Jorstadt Island, where the vampires deny affiliation with the stranger and the heroes find many destroyed sensors.  The team meets and plans; Mischief sneaks into the Harris residence, and other BioDyne employees are examined.  Majestic and Dr. Mercury visit Katherine at her home and reveal all that they know to her.

Elongated Man wrote on Feb 4^th, 2011 at 12:45am:


This is just one campaign (among many V&V campaigns I've played in), Elongated Man, and we're not even halfway through the issue summaries for just one of the groups in that campaign (though it is the "main" superhero group).  This campaign is now in it's 21st year, and we play every other weekend.

Believe it or not, these 150+ issues makes up just a fraction of the total V&V I've played in my life.  Each "issue summary" reflects one to two sessions of play, usually (often about 5 or 6 hours in length for each session).  All told, and just talking V&V (not the many years we playtested Living Legends), I estimate that I've played over 600 "issues" worth, so probably well over 750 sessions of V&V.  That sounds like a lot, but when you break it down to the fact that I've played regularly for 29 years, it makes for only about 25 sessions a year.

#153 – Enemy of My Enemy – Katherine acknowledges that Jay stopped the Intercrime assassination, and tells them her suspicions about Jane Adams, head of Hardware for the company.  The team assembles at BioDyne the next day, investigating and providing security as the project nears completion.  Dr. Mercury discovers USA Defender (Jay’s upgraded armor) and secures it for safety.  He confronts Jane, who becomes upset and teleports in Brain, Brawn, Will, and Spirit.  The attackers are contested by BioDyne security, Dr. Mercury, Majestic, G-Force, L-Force, and Jay, who reveals superpowers of his own without the armor.  During the battle, Katherine is critically injured, and Dai Oni and Mischief arrive to join the fight.  A bomb is discovered, and the villains are subdued.  Jay races the bomb to safety, and it detonates.  Majestic revives Jane, and Dr. Mercury miraculously saves Katherine.  Epilogue: Dr. Mercury decides to take some time away from the team.  Jane reveals Intercrime involvement, Katherine remains in a coma, and Jay recovers.  Project: Equalizer finishes on time.

#155 – What Goes Up… - When members of the House Homeland Security Committee begin acting irrationally, the Guardians are called in by a Colonel Nicholas.  Blood samples of the congressmen reveal nanites, and Drs. Desist and Mercury cure them.  Clues lead the team to anti-government fanatics running two front companies in Virginia.  A stealth team, comprised of Dai Oni, G-Force, and Mischief, infiltrates Setinan Catering in Richmond, while Dr. Mercury, Dr. Desist, and Entropy check out an Auburn Enterprises International (AEI) housing development near Alexandria.  The stealth team clashes with robots, staff, and animated equipment at the Setinan factory, setting off alarms and causing massive destruction.  The building is leveled in a huge explosion, and seven people are confirmed dead.

#157 – The Return of Shadow Knight – Shadow Knight returns to Earth from space with three feline aliens and his father, Dr. Destroyer.  They invade C.H.E.S.S. headquarters in Washington, D.C. and plunder the secret basement vault.  Dr. Mercury and Entropy attempt to stop them, but the former Guardian cannot be reasoned with.  Joined by Dai Oni, Dr. Desist, and G-Force, the team tracks Shadow Knight to a mansion near Denver.  Accompanied by five elite C.H.E.S.S. Knights, the assault force engages the enemy and is driven back.  Desperate to stop the advancing villains, the heroes use the Dark Angel’s missiles to demolish the mansion, then commandeer the powerful stolen weapons to neutralize and apprehend their foes.  Demoralized despite the victory, Dr. Mercury takes a leave of absence from the team.

#159 – Training Day – C.H.E.S.S.'s King’s Bishop, Sniper, instructs and trains the team, challenging them as they face an obstacle course and many robotic adversaries.  Portal, USA Defender, Warp, Majestic, L-Force, and Dai Oni learn teamwork beside new heroes Frostwing and Peregrine.  G-Force decodes his tapes of the Gwai’ir trip and turns the recovered data over to A.R.T.  The U.S. government swears the team to secrecy regarding the top secret Space Station One revealed on the tapes.  Tabloids report about hideous “lobster people”. The Zarton Team attacks a T.O.T.E.M. base near Coahuila, Mexico.  When they discover that Fib is a C.H.E.S.S. double agent, the villains kill him.

#161 – Cities Lost – Warehouse computer records tell of a plan to open a gateway to an Elderess treasure hold by destroying New Babylon.  Evidence also indicates an alliance between the Zarton Team, Intercrime, and the World’s Scorned.  The Guardians: Dai Oni, G-Force, Portal, Majestic, USA Defender, and L-Force, fly to New Babylon, meet the Mammalian tribe, and obtain false documentation.  Joined by a C.H.E.S.S. hero named Incandescent, they journey to a southern city, where Majestic breaks the control of a political advisor (Koal) over the leader, Swordmistress.  Koal and numerous Mystic robots attack, but are repelled by the heroes.  They venture north to a Romanesque metropolis, and warn the Emperor there about Lokilani, his gladiatorial champion.  As they travel south along the coast, they discover giant mystical Elderess stones and runes amongst the smoking ruins of Earthwise City.

#163 – The GamesMaster – Guardian members and affiliates are individually captured, some in superhero guise and others in their civilian identities.  L-Force, G-Force, USA Defender, Entropy, Majestic, Dai Oni, and Titan awaken bound and shackled with their powers being drained.  Portal, Warp, and Dr. Mercury serve as the heat source, cold supply, and fuse for a giant battery.  Their captor introduces himself as the GamesMaster, and tells them that he wishes to play a game with them.  He engages the heroes in a trivia contest, then allows a weakened Portal to take them home.

#165 – Birth of Arachnia – C.H.E.S.S. shares intelligence about an Antarctic T.O.T.E.M. base, asking for the Guardians’ assistance with a raid.  Dai Oni, G-Force, Incandescent, Portal, USA Defender, Titan, L-Force, and Majestic fly south in the Dark Angel, but are intercepted near South America by the GamesMaster in a platform half a mile up in the sky.  She tells them more about their target and informs them of Medusa’s new protégé, a deadly creation known as Arachnia.  Accompanied by their new ally, the team invades the back door of the base while Warp and C.H.E.S.S. forces assail the front.  Inside, they confiscate hardware and tissue samples, discover Russian involvement, and learn of T.O.T.E.M. bases in Siberia and the Amazon, then blow up the laboratory.  Returning to the platform, they watch helplessly on a large monitor as an incoming heat source tears into the C.H.E.S.S. strike team!