Alternate Scripts - Superheroes PUT ON THE MASK An Alternate Script for The Play's The Thing By Brian Engard For more information about The Play's The Thing and Magpie Games, visit us at www.magpiegames.com/theplay Alternate Scripts - Superheroes Biff! Bam! Pow! We all know what superheroes are. They can do things no normal person can, stand against forces the rest of us can't hope to combat, represent the ideals of our society -- even if they're ideals we've forgotten ourselves -- and they act as a beacon and an example for the rest of us. Superheroes also get into great, exciting fights and wear colorful Spandex uniforms. For all the dizzying number of superheroes (and villains!) out there, they're each subtly different from one another, each driven by his or her own motivations and background. Oh sure, eye lasers and the ability to fly are flashy and exciting and cool, but it's the human drama, the relationships and mortal struggles of these sometimes godlike beings that grounds them, makes them relatable, and makes us keep watching them. Sometimes superhero drama comes from the hero's need to see justice -- or vengeance -- done. Sometimes it's a need to protect that which the hero holds dear. Sometimes it's the struggle that comes with suddenly being thrust into a mantle of great power, and the enormous responsibility that comes with it. The only difference between a superhero and a supervillain is how the individual character reacts to these motives, how far she or he is willing to go to see justice -- or vengeance -- done, what lengths the character is willing to go to to protect something, or how the hero -- or villain -- handles that mantle of power and responsibility. Both superheroes and supervaillains make fine characters in a game of The Play's The Thing. Just as in Shakespeare's plays, not all main characters are good guys. Sometimes it's clear Alternate Scripts - Superheroes who's a hero and who's a villain; sometimes you have to put those characters into tough situations, give them hard choices, to find out. To sum up: • Figure out what's important to the characters • Figure out how they relate to each other • Put them in tough situations where they have to make hard choices Alternate Scripts - Superheroes New Actor Type: The Straight Man The Straight Man is the Ham's best friend. He's the one who plays it straight (hence the name), the one who lets the Ham get the laughs while he looks on mildly. He often comes off as being serious, maybe even a little dull, but the truth is that the jokes wouldn't work without him. Superhero stories can get pretty serious, pretty heavy, without humor. Imagine watching The Dark Knight with none of the characters cracking jokes to lighten the mood. It would seem too self-serious, too dismal, and probably too unrealistic. The Ham adds humor to ensure that people know that the comic book or TV show or movie isn't taking itself too seriously, and the jokes are often at the Straight Man's expense. That's what he's there for! The Straight Man is the quintessential supporting role. He may have a major part in the movie, and he may even crack an understated joke or two on his own, but his primary role is to help others shine. He's not in the background, but his acting skills allow him to make others look better, and the production would suffer without him. Famous Examples: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Cain, Kirsten Dunst Alternate Scripts - Superheroes Quote: "I suppose they'll try me as your accomplice." "Accomplice? I'm going to tell them it was all your idea." -Michael Cain and Christian Bale Onstage Ability: The Straight Man excels in making others look good. You can invoke your Parts, Plots, and Props to grant a bonus to someone else in the scene. Offstage Ability: People often develop relationships with the Straight Man throughout the play. You can spend a story point to give someone else a new Plot, provided the relationship is with you. Direction: At the Playwright's request, the Straight Man must put himself in a situation that allows someone else to get the spotlight at his expense. Alternate Scripts - Superheroes New Rules for Superheroes Secret Identities Often superheroes or villains have secret identities, mundane personae that they keep separate from their more fantastical self. When you're playing a character with a secret identity, make two versions of the role: one for your superhero identity, one for your secret identity. These roles each have their own Parts, Plots, and Props, and you can only play one of the in any given scene. You can, however, switch between the two in a scene as a minor edit. It's possible for one of your roles to die and for the other to continue living; in this case, the death was staged or someone was mistaken in what they saw. You can bring back a "dead" role with a major edit. If, at any point, you reveal your secret identity, add the Parts, Plots, and Props from one role to the other; you now have a single role instead of two. You immediately earn a story point. Collateral Damage Super-powered beings are often hard on the scenery, dealing significant property damage or inflicting casualties on those around them. Anyone portraying a superhero can choose to inflict collateral damage. Doing so gets you an additional die for a single roll, but for every 5 or 6 you roll you must describe something you destroyed or someone you hurt in the process. Conceptual Plots In a superhero story, characters often have relationships to abstract ideals or entire nations or organizations that are just as important as their relationships with other characters. When you Alternate Scripts - Superheroes pick a Plot for a roll, you may have it relate to an ideal, organization, country, or other similar entity instead of another character. For instance, a character might be Protector of the weak or Betrayer of humanity. A character can have only one such Plot at a time. Alternate Scripts - Superheroes New Parts/Plots/Props/Places for Superhero Plays New Parts The Thug You favor strength over subtlety, and you accomplish your goals through might or force. Invoke: Gain two dice when you use brute strength to solve a problem. Compel: You love a good fight. They're hard for you to resist. The Tyrant You seek to subjugate the weak and rule those who you see as inferior to yourself. Invoke: Gain two dice when you assert your will over someone weaker than you. Compel: You will brook no insult; if someone pays you disrespect, you must pay them back with interest. The Champion You are a living example, the embodiment of an ideal. People follow you without question, and you drive them to great deeds. Invoke: Gain two dice when you inspire others to greatness. Compel: Someone has to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. New Plots Destroyer You are sworn to destroy a person or thing, and you will stop at nothing to do so. Alternate Scripts - Superheroes Invoke: Gain two dice when you actively try to destroy or undermine that which you hate. Compel: You will do anything, even risk your own life, to destroy the target of your ire. Opposite You are the inverse of another character, their dark (or light) reflection. Invoke: Gain two dice when you act for or against your reflection. Compel: You are inextricably bound to your reflection; whether you assist or undermine, you can't stand by and do nothing. Protector You seek to protect or preserve some person or thing. You will risk your life to ensure its continued existence. Invoke: Gain two dice when you act to protect that which you are sworn to guard. Compel: If your charge is in danger, you must protect it. At all costs. Props The Mask: Gain one die when you seek to protect your identity or that of those you care about. Great Power: Gain one die when your power would be a benefit to you. Minions: Gain one die when your minions act on your behalf. Alternate Scripts - Superheroes Places Sky Set Heroes and villains often do battle in the skies, high above cities filled with innocent onlookers. Potential Places: The clouds above Manhattan, outside the International Space Station, the villain’s aerial base. Science Set Labs and other scientific areas have a long history in superhero fiction. Such places often have plenty of gadgets and volatile compounds to bring into a fight. Potential Places: Science Lab, Robotics Facility, Evil Genius's Sanctum. Military Set The military often gets involved with super-beings. Some supers even owe their origins to military involvement. Potential Places: War-Torn Battlefield, Military Base, Mobile Fortress. Alternate Scripts - Superheroes The Avengers: A Superhero Story Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, based on the long-running superhero comic book series of the same name, is probably the best-known example of an ensemble superhero story that puts the characters front and center, while still delivering plenty of action. In The Avengers, Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D., a covert intelligence organization with no boundaries, loses an artifact called the Tesseract to Loki, a trickster from Asgard. Fury sets to recruiting Earth’s mightiest heroes to apprehend Loki and recover the Tesseract, but when Loki’s army of chitauri invade Earth, the Avengers must fight Loki’s allies above the skies of New York City.