I was delighted to help out with Monte Cook’s blockbuster Kickstarter for Numenera last year, and now he’s thanking me (and other backers at the same level) with articles on his site! Here’s his coverage on Vigilance Press! 

In related news, I can’t wait to see the Numenera core books, the artwork in the previews has been amazing!

…and speaking of artwork, expect to see some new stuff on our site in the next couple of days for upcoming projects! Stay tuned!

-James

The latest Vigilance Press Podcast is now up and making the rounds! In this episode, Rick Jones and Tolly Gipson join me to talk about Campaign Creation, and how longer-form campaigns differ from more episodic campaigns. Hear me completely mix up my definitions at least once! Can you spot it? After the Campaign Creation discussion, we switch topics and give a spoileriffic review of Iron Man 3, but we give you fair warning so you can tune out before we ruin it for you. 🙂  Check out the podcast here!

Today we’re also updating the Rogues, Rivals, and Renegades gallery with new artwork! We have several newly colored pieces from Denise Jones in the mix, including the fearsome Fright Knight! (Pictured) Check out the gallery at this link, here!

Super Rescues

By James Dawsey

What is a Rescue Scene, and why is it important?

In superhero role-playing games, as in comics, the focus of action scenes often revolve around conflicts between heroes and villains. In the fiction, however, some of the most memorable scenes are not about conflict between characters, but a hero’s struggle to protect and safeguard innocent people caught in situations too dangerous for them to handle alone. This leads to one of the most iconic kinds of scenes in Superhero fiction: The Rescue Scene.

Rescue scenes are more than just busy-work for a hero. A hero who spends all his time fighting and doesn’t interact with the civilians he is meant to be protecting can seem cut off from the world, or worse, selfish and un-heroic. Part of what makes someone Heroic is the notion that what they do isn’t motivated by pure self-interest. They are heroic because they are making the world a better place through their actions. This element of selflessness appears in varying degrees for different characters, but for the most memorable and enduring super-heroes, exciting rescue scenes are almost synonymous with their name.

This essay is a quick attempt to break Rescue scenes down into clearly defined elements and steps, with the goal of making them easier and more appealing to run in a role-playing game. I’ll be referring to an example scene from the classic 1978 film Superman: The Movie to help illustrate my points at the end of the essay. If you haven’t seen that film, I highly suggest watching it before reading the final section of this article, simply because I will be spoiling one of the most iconic scenes from it in detail here.

Continue reading →