Nemeses and Fan-Created Characters

We know that Christopher has had at least much, if not most, of the story of SOTM figured out before he started making it; things are revealed in Rook City which pay off in Shattered Timelines, so it's clear that there is a Plan with a capital P which is playing out through the storyline.  What that makes me wonder, then, is about Heroes and Villains who couldn't possibly have been part of the Plan in its original stages, because they were created by fans after the game succeeded, and never would have been if it hadn't.

Case 1:  Kismet.  Kismet has the power to bend luck to her favor using The Talisman.  Was there a luck-controlling villain in the original Plan?  If so, what became of the parts of that concept which didn't match Kismet?  Was this abandoned villain intended to be Setback's nemesis, or was Setback to the Plan added after Kismet was designed, so that Kismet would have a nemesis?

Case 2:  The Scholar.  I don't know the full details on the Scholar, so I'm not assuming he is a fan creation, but he was listed on the ST Kickstarter page as something that would only exist if the backers Kicked enough.  So there was a possibility he would never have been published, and if that was the case, what would have become of his (currently nonexistent, but presumably coming in a future set) nemesis?

Here's my theory...I think originally the character who would become Setback was a villain, or at least a mook for some villain, and that he was both the proto-Kismet and the nemesis of the Scholar.  His appearance on Shock Rounds in Rook City will probably be explained somehow by his mechanics when he's released (I'm guessing he has at least one card that causes him to redirect damage dealt to villain targets to himself, or less probably that causes him to count as a villain target for targeting purposes), but that doesn't mean he wasn't slated to be a villain at the time RC was published.  And if he was originally something similar to what Kismet would end up being, it would seem natural for him to have been the nemesis of the Scholar, just as it would make a fair bit of sense if Scholar and Kismet were nemeses - Scholar has an innate ability to sense and manipulate the "threads of existence", and that's really not terribly different from what Kismet does when making her own luck (they even both use artifacts to do it).  Had Scholar and Kismet both never existed, "Twitchy" from Shock Rounds would have just been a random mook who we'd never see again; had only Kismet existed, any plans for Scholar's nemesis-to-be might have been merged into her and/or Setback, depending on how villain-specific they were.  But had only Scholar existed, I think Setback might have ended up being a Shattered Timelines villain with Scholar's nemesis icon.

Case 3:  Miss Information.  This is pretty much the same deal as Kismet, so I won't go into it too much more.  We have no evidence currently that Parse was ever part of The Plan, so it's entirely possible that she was created simply to fill the need for Miss Info to have a Nemesis.  (Personally I think she ought to have the entire Freedom V as nemeses, akin to Iron Legacy, but perhaps this was avoided so as not to step on the toes of the Vengeful Five.  It'd be kind of unfair anyway, given that you're only able to damage her on one side, not that this stopped The Chairman or worse yet The Dreamer.)  But it's also conceivable that plans for "an archer", "an Aspie hero", and/or "a hero whose power source is Omnitron's Cosmicizer" all existed originally, and it's interesting to speculate on what might have happened if "The Assistant" had remained an elusive Kickstarter award and never actually been published.

Assuming that "making it" means actually having it sent to print, it has actually been said that the entire story was already planned out even before it went to the printers. There were of course tweaks and stuff along the way, thanks to events like having a fourth designer assist with Infernal Relics and given into the fan's request to have a create a villain contest.

 

I disagree, Setback was a character Adam had created years before Sentinels of the Multiverse was even a thing. Back then he was a character named Risk. Several characters that exist are also ones that he had created for his own stories. Some off the top of my head are Writhe and Fright Train.

 

I think both Unity and Scholar would of made it to mini-expansions at some point, the kickstarters just allowed them to be introduced sooner.

Wait, where are these "own stories"?  Also do you really mean Adam?  I thought Christopher was the words guy and Adam just illustrated.

Addendum: I distinctly recall reading/hearing somewhere that Kismet's nemesis already existed, and when they saw Kismet they just thought she was perfect for him. That said, it does raise the question of his original nemesis... Baron Blade, perhaps? It would be a first, but Legacy and Setback dealing each other bonus damage does make a sort of perverse sense, considering Setback's character...

All three (Christopher, Adam, and Paul) have influenced the Multiverse in different ways. Christopher and Adam are childhood friends; both contributed significantly to the mythos. Paul has also contributed a great deal, in addition to his role on the business side.

I hope I'm not saying too much, but I do know of at least one character that was a Mutants & Masterminds (RPG) character of Adam's before they were ever in the game.

I haven't actually seen these "stories", but I have had stories of those stories. I have seen Adam's work on one of those websites that host people's art stuff. Which contains quite a bit of heroes in it, some of which have been seen and others still a mystery.

I would assume that the story is allowed to grow even now.

I imagine they saw Kismet and thought "Yes, we can use this character here and this character can move over here," etc.

One of the best things about stories is when they take on their own life and go in directions you never thought of.

That's why I love being a Game Master and why I am enjoying the Storyline games, I do have some control, but the story is being writeen as we go, by everyone's involvement.  I mean we started the game with six possible plot lines, and since then each win or loss gives us two directions to go in.

Unity was originally a throw in character because I needed another body for the Matriarch fight, and she's turned into the main character right now because of how the story has evolved.  My writing her has been heavily influenced by the players who have played her.

I cn't understand the creators of the game and how they work, I've never met them in person even, but I bet that any new stuff was closer to an exciting addition that evolved the story more than something they had to fit in.

 

I believe I've been the only player to play Unity in your campaign up till now (had to pass on chapter 5 due to work) so all I can say is I'm honored.

Envisioner wrote:

Wait, where are these "own stories"?  Also do you really mean Adam? 

 

Before it was published, Sentinels of the Multiverse was on pieces of paper (index cards, maybe?), so Christopher and Adam could play with their friends. Adam was very much involved in building the mythos -- from the very beginning, I think.

 

Both Christopher and Adam are absolutely integral to the creation of every aspect of the Sentinels of the Multiverse mythos.