Local Hero Support Program

Games Sentinel Comics RPG
#1

So we were going to roll up some characters for a one shot (a riff on Urban Infestation for a friend who wanted to GM for the first time) and wanted to dive into how random or d-list type heroes would get into an adventure when it’s not their full-time gig. We started thinking of how older, hobbyist, or retired heroes didn’t really have access to the kinds of resources that a student at the Freedom Academy might have, and how the Sentinels of Freedom wouldn’t intentionally neglect these folks.

Enter the Local Hero Support Program: a series of “continuing education” lectures and workshops that are hosted by local community colleges and libraries and taught by a rotation of different “professional” heroes on a semi-regular tour that tries to hit various parts of the country(world?). Anyone can attend, and attendees can sign up for an email list afterwards if they want to get contacted if something needs a hero’s help in their area. Topics are more broad and shallow than classes at the Academy might be, but are a good primer for new heroes and a refresher for those who might have been out of the game for a while.

All that to say: here’s another starting point for adventures with one-off or anthology characters that might not really get their own book. For instance, we started the one-shot by all answering an email from the SoF Local Hero Support Program requesting assistance investigating an unknown disturbance downtown. We all had a passing acquaintance with one another, and built some camaraderie over the adventure, but didn’t all decide to keep going forward as a team afterwards (editorially leaving room for new “Bench-Warmers” to take the next adventure while holding the previous adventure as canon).

And please feel free to speculate in the replies about what full- or half-day workshops various heroes would run if they rolled into your town for a weekend! i.e. Bunker might roll through and give a talk to heroes in our area about “Avoiding Collateral Damage Around Military Hardware” as we have a significant naval shipyard. And y’know, probably drop in on a couple of veteran’s support groups afterwards.

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#2

Huh, this does actually seem like an intriguing concept . . .

Okay, now I’m imagining some strange type of hero social media platform where all the d-listers chat together and form teams and talk about how they just stopped the Slaughterhouse Six from robbing a bank. XD

Here’s my thoughts on some workshops:

  • Captain Cosmic: “The Legalities of Superheroing”
  • Chrono-Ranger: “Threats from Throughout History”
  • Doctor Medico M.D.: “Emergency Care in the Midst of Combat”
  • Expatriette (for non-powered heroes): “How to Gain the Upper Hand Against a Powered Opponent”
  • Guise: “Genre Savviness”
  • Pinion: “How to Combat Magical Threats”
  • Rival: “Extraterrestrial Enemies”
  • Mantra: “The Basics of Qi”
  • The Naturalist: “Nature Survival”
  • Parse: “Finding Weak-Points”
  • Night Hunter: “How to Fight Crime & Look Good Doing it”
  • Tempest: “Negotiating Before Fighting”
  • Writhe: “How to Terrify Your Enemies”

And now I’m thinking of the Program’s villainous counterpart . . .

#3

Christopher’s tailor character C.B. for sure teaches the course, “Do you really want a cape?” Designing and making your own costume

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#4

Oh, this is great :smiley:

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#5

That’s a great idea! Give it a cheesy acronym like Friendly Local Individuals Growing as Heroes through Training (FLIGHT).

Edit: Then you can call it “FLIGHT school.”

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