Black Talon

Boomtown, for me, is a place that has remained a CoX go-to strictly because of the questionable-but-still-standing architecture. The original Faultline, while a visually arresting location, had no essential story to justify sending characters in to scrap the hordes of CoT-types, Vahzilok, and what-have-you that hung out in the assorted crevices. Boomtown, while it's certainly got an essentially numberless villain population, is also considerably easier to navigate, especially for those alts (and I have a couple) with Super-Speed as their travel power. As a just-off-the-top thinking, here, I'd love to see a trilogy/quadrology of story arcs put together that use the place just as it is, the various villain groups interfering with urban reconstruction to keep progress to a minimum (thus preserving current visuals), and perhaps an AV showdown in the tunnels at the end of the third/fourth arc. I understand that back in pre-Shutdown, there was a Faultline Task Force in place that could take upwards of a fricking day to accomplish, and the time commitment is a primary reason I never indulged in such - using the current Faultline story-arcs as a model makes it much more accessible. Boomtown remains a place I enjoy coming to look over for the urban destruction aspect, and having a neo-Faultline set of reasons to come and explore the zone, rather than just instanced missions, would provide, for me, at least, a real justification to keep the place as it is.

Angel Daddy, just wanted to pass on thanks for having brought this topic up; it's something that's kind of nibbled at the consciousness for one or two of my alts with solo bases, and I'd wondered exactly why a simple SG name-change mechanic hadn't been worked into the game in the first place. Much like how character name changes are pretty much a matter of routine at this point. In any case, thanks as well to GM Capocollo for having outlined the corrective procedure. One final note for GM Capocollo: Lay off the butts, at least in public. They're setting a bad example for the kids as to what puts you on the path to the American Dream of fame and fortune in the Twenty-First century. What's that...? It's a simple artistic graphic with no connection to real events and/or people, and to ease off the pointless criticism? Well, okay...maybe that's a sign for me to go out to the garage and consider my position in life with a forty of Jack Daniels...don't think anybody can criticize that kind of thinking...

Can't state anything that hasn't already been stated by those with far broader and deeper experience than myself (especially when it comes to the Incarnate stuff), but I will give the double-thumbs up and, "Yeah!" to hitting those contacts - through Ouros or otherwise - and perhaps building up the recipes until you've got your basic Julia Child's-Superhero-Cookbook of tasty extras for your guy/girl. One final thing I will state out of suspicion: taking "3 to 4 days", especially with the double-xp buff, to get an alt to 50 strikes me as someone who's doing power-leveling; if so, fine, but I make it a point to get every alt through every story arc possible, at standard xp progression rate, and thus hitting 50 takes roughly three to five months (depending on how many free hours I can dedicate to said alt). My Boys have racked up more than their share of damn debt badges - the Mark of Shame - by doing this, but it also means that I'm able to meet up with various villain groups and ever-repeating bosses/EBs/AVs (such as Doc Vahz and FrostFire; card-carrying members of a club that celebrates a failed parole system) on a predictable and most welcome basis. I can see it as possible that the very inventive and resourceful HC Devs do ultimately craft a post-50 system at some point, but until that day, I'll be quite pleased to run through the gamut of mission arcs that the pre-Shutdown Devs (and various writers through AE) invented and put into working production, with every intent of giving the players A Real Hard Time of it.

Bit of an unhappy confession here: when I first got back on the game, closing on two years ago, I had totally forgotten about the Hollows and the attendant mission arcs. This was an especially regrettable point because I like My Boys to collect as many mission arc souvenirs as possible, and for the first few guys I put together...they just never got the opportunity. On - I believe it was my third alt - I did finally remember and dedicated the next several levels to working through the contacts. Yes, there were at least a dozen occasions with new alts where I put out the call to demo FrostFire - like Doc Vahz, yet another sad example of our revolving-door parole system - and I was very happy to be able to complete the zone with having returned Officer Wincott's boy to him, alive and well. It might sound stupid and pointless, but there's something about getting a father and child - as virtual as they might be - back together after a novel-length struggle that makes me feel I did at least one thing right with my day. That and the fact that the Hollows, along with Croatoa, is the single most nature-bound, and beautifully laid-out, setting in the game. Get the Trolls and the Outcasts to have a last-man-standing-gets-a-free-large-Slurpee contest, and then move the civilian population in after Longbow's done the body-count and filled up the morgues. Grendel's Gulch can remain, much like the sites of natural disasters, an untouched reminder of what happens when you let drug-enhanced/deformed punks start thinking they own the place. It is an unhappy reality that no post-20 contacts, at least ones that I can think of, will send a character into the Hollows for an instanced mission. Much the same as with Striga Isle. In summary, the Hollows was one of the best post-publication additions to the game I can think of, and it's only unfortunate that, at this point, My Boys regard the place as little more than a bucolic memory.

Don't know if this really qualifies, but for me, it's Storm Summoning. While this power-set comes across as almost disruptive in group settings - many have been the times with my SS/EB Defender that I've done not much more than hang out at the back, dispensing O2 Boosts and running Hurricane as a constant in order to prevent being jumped; that and the required biting sarcasm commentary so that Villain Group X can go to prison with another layer of blistering humility - I've found it to be extremely effective when working solo, with the Hurricane/Snow Storm/Freezing Rain combo serving as a great warm-up for Lightning Storm. Haven't seen too many others handing out decks of compliments to Storm Summoning, but would certainly like to know if others have experienced much the same with this power-set.

KC4800, thank you for the topic introduction; this is something that, if I ever had thought of it, was doing basically a Pluto-distance orbit in terms of considering, "Hm - wonder how other people handle the solo-level stuff?" For myself, after having spent several hundred million (probably closer to a billion) on various purple/red recipes, my 50s guys (Scrappers and Tankers, at least) are able to handle themselves with moderate challenge on +4/1; one of the reasons that I haven't pushed things past this point, at least to date, is that I've stayed well and away from the whole Incarnate thing. Regarding larger villain groups - while, yes, it would jack up advancement rate, I'm really not too much into the idea of turning every police scanner mission into an afternoon's marathon. My Defenders and Blasters are at +3/1; while, again, they could handle the +4 with a touch more difficulty, I do like having a few random bad guys that prove a bit more manageable, especially when it comes to the boss and the wave attacks when escorting the hostage to the exit. Perhaps I will start altering the multiplication rate one day, but right now I'm perfectly okay running things on a, "I've got to watch my butt," level rather than constant panic. The Boys have still been taken down in various situations (often due to the damn Sappers), so it ain't a cakewalk regardless of what the villain numeric appearance level is.

Personally, my only notable reaction to the spam invasion was, "Oh, God, not again." I will skip out on all subject-based commentary and simply pass on every congratulations and thanks to the CoHHC team for their alacrity in response to the annoyance, and to the site's population as a whole for the, "Hey, if you're gonna come in here uninvited, there's a nice gladiatorial lion pit we can toss you into for the gang's entertainment." All appreciations to Luminara for the poetic parody; these goofs want to come in the door without knocking, fine - and there is the understanding that they don't give a frank damn what our personal response is, unless it involves forwarding cash - but we're going to hold you up as demonstrations of social and corporate failures. All best on your next site invasion attempt, guys...

Nothing particularly revolutionary or insightful here; just giving the big "Yeah!" to Luminara's argument and providing a bit of limited personal experience. I have been - and continue to - operating under the impression that the HC version of the game has been under the dictum of, "Teaming ain't that common any more." ATs which almost demanded teaming in order to achieve advancement - Defenders, Controllers - have, through the Devs' application, become something that can actually handle a mission solo. I did, and do, have a number of Defenders on my roster, and I recall, back in pre-Shutdown days, that they would have dedicated insp use with +0 bosses. Now, my SS/EB Defender can keep his End at an equitable level, with regular Electrical Blast hits; there's no need to send out a holy-crap-I'm-in-trouble alert that would bring assistance on the run. Luminara's point about the IOs is also, in my opinion, dead-on. I stuck with the level 50 generics for a long time with all my 50s, and finally decided, "Huh. Fine; I'll start spending some of the 100 million-plus Inf this guy's got on some recipes that look half decent." As indicated, they're not mandatory in any shape, form or fashion, as also goes for the Incarnate thing. Over a year and a half on, and I still have no desire to put any of my alts through that process - and I don't particularly feel the loss for it. If we were to regress and go back to a pre-Enhancement Diversification (eternal ugh) state, would there be advantages? Yeah, we'd have perma-Hasten as a possibility again, but we'd also be stuck in a world where forced teaming for several ATs would pretty much be a given. To join with the chorus, I have every appreciation for what the HC Devs have done and continue to do here, and will be playing/contributing to the monthly sustaining fund for as long as possible. There ain't no perfect game; there's the perfect game for you. If this one has fallen off the pedestal in that regard for you, my condolences...but the population here certainly don't seem to have no major problem with it.

Passing on quick and sincere Thank Yous to KaizenSoze for providing that link; provides some much-desired clarification and specifics on how/when/where these sort of things occur, and how to/how not to get involved, depending on one's predilections at the time.

Wonderful, and very much appreciated, seasonal topic, CU_Crow. I, along with everyone else who has a personal investment in this game, cannot thank the Homecoming crew enough for their time, patience, and willingness to put up with silliness that would drive many kindergarten teachers to drink and/or retirement. During my occasional interactions with the Mods - when particular goals are unreachable or technical issues crop up - I've always attempted to show some real respect and good humour as an appreciation for the volunteer time they're donating. Various other CoX "legacy" projects have ended up either miscarried or essentially frozen in a glacier - and being originated and carried on with a nothing more than a full-volunteer capacity for pretty much the bunch of them, I can't see, logically, how it could have turned out any other way - and, although it could be argued that the CoHHC team at least had a fully operational system to work off of - just reinflate the tires, change the oil, fill up the tank, check the plugs and we're ready to go - that doesn't change the fact that keeping this thing going on an hourly, weekly, monthly and years-long basis has required some really honest, serious love. For me and all the other superhero-wannabes out there, Homecoming crew - staff and volunteers alike - our greatest and ongoing thanks, and a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy New Year to all. We'll be thinking of you and passing on our deepest appreciations every time we gather to give the CoT's Envoy of Shadow what for. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Knockout Blow that actually connects with the target and lodges them in the ceiling tiles.

For myself, having run a number of My Boys through the grinder with Snaptooth over the last couple of days, the lack of "announcement" with this is pretty much a non-issue. For the Lord's sake, we know it's fricking Christmas, and we expect Father Time (who's gone through childhood, adolescence, maturity and old age in 365 days) to be replaced with his rather precocious and overbearing replacement. This is not new content; with the exception of the "lost years" (2012-2018) we've had access to the exact same Christmas run-through without significant alteration, and the only real shocker is how well the population has got the process knocked down. For my part, I would have expected an announcement only if the Devs had decided, "We ain't doing it this year," and some sort of heathen celebration for Walpurgis Nacht on April 30 was designated instead. Actually, just thinking about it, that could work...turn Croatoa into one of the biggest population zones in the game, and questioning every Witch in the zone's coven as to what unholy form that ultimate sacrifice will take. Final scrap is against Jack-In-Irons. who brings a bunch of his iron-welding buddies out for a night's parties and hit the Budweiser just a little too hard. Guy/girl who takes Jack out gets those huge novelty chains as a souvenir...

No more need be said (or written), and I think the sharpness and rapier-like penetrating ironic wit of our previous commentators sums it up better than I ever could. Can only express condolences to Joel in episode #1, because we all know that if he did press Captain Dynamic's Awesome button, it would end up extending back out further than it was pressed in, as a total violation of Newton's Second Law. Also felt that the closing music was perfect (not kidding about this one), and we're all a little poorer for not having it worked into the game. All thanks to Astralock for having brought these to our doorstep. Just remember, pressing that doorbell for notification is a very different experience than the Awesome button...

Very small point, and this is exacerbated by the fact that I never engaged in it to begin with, but PvP has, from my standpoint, gone the way of the trilobite. I recall, Back In The Day, being in the PvP zones on the way to missions (no, I wasn't a huge fan of it, and got in/out as quickly as humanly possible) and getting sniped/ambushed with no announcement or challenge whatsoever - why the Devs didn't institute a WoW-style set-up, right from the beginning, escapes me completely. Since Homecoming's institutionalization, this seems to have become even more strongly the case. I stop off in the PI Arena every once in a while, just to see what's (or what's not) happening; I don't recall ever seeing another PC alt there, and the active Arena itself has been nothing but silent. Certainly don't have any qualms about this, as I'm perfectly happy to raise the fists in PvE circumstances for as long as this game is running, but I do wonder occasionally what would have happened if there hadn't been such self-declared push to do the "Harrison Bergeron"-number, back in '06 or thereabouts, on what could have been a diverting element for the game.

While I certainly have no difficulty doing either one-shots or arcs, I make it a point to complete every arc possible; sometimes this is just because the story progression and/or bad guys are interesting, and I enjoy reading over the text pre- and post-mission; other times it's because the arcs are part of an interconnecting narrative that ultimately builds to an AV takedown mission. Typical examples of the latter are the Hollows multi-contact progression, Striga Isle's buildup to a James Bond-style villain-in-his-stronghold finale, and Faultline's quadrology of contacts that lead to repeated EB/AV scraps. Of course, the Hollows, Striga and Faultline all have conclusions that allows the player to know that, "I saved lives today. Yes, they were only virtual; no, they're not going to have any impact on real-world events and it's nothing I can brag about to anyone who ain't into this game...but I still saved lives and it makes me feel good." Of the arcs that stand out, disconnected from any grand zone-level scheme, the Countess Crey 42-45 arc is by far the most gripping of the bunch. First time I ever played it, back in...oh, must have been in '05 or thereabouts...I sent a congratulatory e-mail to the Devs, thanking them for putting a story together that, pre-set ending or not, still enthuses me to this day. The story about how Julianne Thompson became a capitalist, identity-thieving, faux-libertarian monster strikes a chord with comparison to real-world figures that's just a little too close to be funny. Further point is that those arcs lead to Reward Merits, and I don't believe I have to tell anyone what those little treasures are good for.

Adding my (virtual) voice to a very well-deserved chorus. This Halloween - the entire month of October - has been an unending fest of innovation, and the Devs utilizing every digital, game engine tool available to them to make this year something to celebrate and remember for good and always. Our eternal and ongoing thanks for the efforts that were taken, the imagination indulged, and the depth of spirit and commitment that's been demonstrated. Now, if only something like this can be put together for Christmas...maybe an evil elf faction (Redkaps! Redkaps!) who are set on turning Santa's toy factory into a for-profit weapons production facility...

All thanks to dtjunkie for introducing the topic, and it is something I have done internal debates about on a couple of occasions. For the most part, I would agree with the OP thesis: the EBs can be handled with hitting Hasten, a few small insps and making sure a heal insp or two is available. As an example, I've had multiple alts take out Maestro (Long Jack arc finale in Striga) with relatively little difficulty, specific AT not being a consideration. The sole exceptions to this rule, as several others have suggested, are Nosferatu and Praetorian Marauder; the latter of which, actually, has been out-of-reach for all but one of my alts - Black Talon, as it turned out - and that guy had to use every insp in the book to come out on top. So, again, agreement with what seems to be a majority opinion here. I would like EBs to be something really notable to scrap against - not in the, "I'll-need-a-team-to-finish-this-one" category, but certainly something where every power, at that level, is called up for use, and the insp tray should be empty when the scrap is over. Not sure what might have to be altered/adjusted in order to put this to work - and I'd imagine there'd be a number of Beta-level iterations that would go through trial-testing before it gets put on live - but it is something that would make the mission arc-finale scraps something to really have as a treasured and tales-around-the-campfire memory.

Have over a half-dozen 50s on Torchbearer at current, and am working toward getting my one Excelsior guy through the 40s, slowly but surely. I honestly have no difficulty in taking My Boys, who have officially reached retirement age, out and working on a selection of police scanner/paper missions, even though I've done pretty much all of them several dozen times over. The question of why? occurs...and it's largely because of the visual/audio aspect. I am never going to get tired of my Storm Summoner/Electric Blaster calling up Lightning Storm and turning Council Boss X into a convulsing worm, praying for a quick death, or my Martial Arts/Super Reflexes guy pulling off the mega-windup Eagle Claw (no, there's no way in the name of God and all His little angels I'd ever attempt something like that in real life, but still) on Council Boss Y, scoring a critical and turning his head into a pumpkin dropped from the top of the Sears Tower. I've stated it before, and will state it again: the Devs and CGI/audio artists outdid themselves with this game, especially considering the limitations of the time. Looking forward to my not-so-defensive Defender once more hitting Gale, throwing that Circle of Thorns mage into the wall, calling up Freezing Rain and then zapping him till I just can't zap no more.

While I certainly won't claim to have any insight on the pure numbers aspect - what percentage is a foe's to-hit diminished when using a Concealment power, what distance can they "see" you, and so forth, I will state that Mezmera's opinion is one I share entirely. While various "tweaking" over the years may have diminished its effectiveness - at least pre-Shutdown - and I have no idea whether or not that's true, I have always found that Stealth and Super-Speed, combined, is effectively equivalent to Invisibility. While the concealment and travel power are both on, I've been able to stand nose-to-nose with bosses and never so much as disturbed a hair. With this, the alt takes on a very effective form of the classical ninja: able to run through the place, unseen, and reconnoiter without disturbance. This is no matter whether one's simply scouting out territory, or finding the best way to back-stab/alpha-strike Arachnos Elite-Boss X. This, at least, has been the text of my past and current experience, and I suspect will remain so, until if and when the HC Devs decide to perform another surgical nerfing. As a final point, I agree entirely as well with Troo's summation of the Stealth/Infiltration differences; Stealth is by far the more dependable of the two, and there are pretty much uncounted points when a villain happened to pick up on one of My Boys sneaking around when using Infiltration, and promptly ruined whatever effort I'd made to move around without disturbance. Infiltration does have the pseudo-travel power advantages, but I'd still far prefer to get around without any real risk of discovery (at least when not using the Stealth/Super-Speed combo), and allow the group tacticians to start planning gang assaults. Stealth remains the number one Concealment pick, and I wish you all best when fulfilling this particular alt.

I so damn rarely get the opportunity to make a commentary on something like this, outside of class: I teach high school English and Social Sciences as a career, and the desire of a significant demographic (student and teacher, for the record) to simply, "Let the machine make the decision," and then call it correct because, hey, computers don't make mistakes causes a grating that scores me down to the split infinitive. I appreciate Six-Six's logic on the matter your big one-ten: the only reason I would, personally, choose Number 4 is because of the specification of exactly who is instituting said nerfing. Otherwise, I as well would be perfectly happy with choice Number 1, and have the exact same, "Yeah!" (think the guy in the jail cell with Eddie Murphy during the "chain belt" scene in Trading Places) reaction to his points on Numbers 2 and 3. Similar questions are equally welcome, and ones that I don't have any clue about...? Bring 'em on. Nothing I'd like better than to have my head twisted around in the correct direction and given an insight I've been ignorant about previously.

Agreed with the notation about map designs with character; this was part of the reason that, pre-Shutdown, I wasn't really too ticked off about having to wait till 14 to pick up a travel power, as I loved working through the various single-digit zones, taking in the ambiance and the architecture. I still find Perez Park to be enormously intimidating and almost spooky as the sun is going down, and I love working through Kings Row's block upon block of low-rise, lower-middle class housing, again, especially at sundown and after dark. This remains part of the reason that, now, on HC,, I don't pick up a travel power for my alts until level 12; gives me time to run around (sometimes at an uncomfortably slow pace, true), getting the feel for an area and appreciating the sheer depth of imagination that went into this game's environment; even if we get only the most superficial aspects while flying/jumping/teleporting above.

I'm really not too sure where, why or how this criticism was instigated, or is relevant to the opinion that was submitted, but I will try to respond in as succinct and non-confrontational a manner as possible. Re point one: It's probably not, and I'm not really interested in addressing any possible differences between level 50 and sub-50 content experiences, because these are so idiosyncratic that there's no reasonable basis of comparison. All I can state is that the current arrangement provides entertainment on my part, and that's all I'm concerned in commenting on. Re point two: My guys, at 25, were quite challenged enough doing +0/+1, depending on the AT. I'm quite frankly not interested in commenting on a hypothetical situation, and whether that is, "more or less of a challenge" than, "running level 50 missions with a level 50 at +4", is a choice that's up to the individual player and the individual alone. Re point three: Yes. I just leave them at 50, run through the police scanner missions, collect Veteran levels, enjoy the fact that I've got another respec granted every 15 Veteran levels, and use the cash to purchase the occasional purple/red recipe, and join up with a pick-up/SG-based team when possible. That's all. Re point four: No. I have never power-leveled a single alt I've ever created, pre- or post-Shutdown. One of the points that keeps me coming back to this game are the arcs, and the enjoyment of pushing through the various stories that the Devs put themselves to creating, back in the day, and the opportunity to establish conflict with, and finally take out, various Elite Bosses/Arch-Villains. My alts have sixty-plus Souvenirs by the time they hit 50, and I'm quite happy to engage in any remaining arcs that contacts might have available. Again, I'm really not quite sure what previous statements might have given any indication about "power-leveling" as a route to 50, but this is a route that, once again, I have never engaged in. I believe I've stated the matter about as clearly as I possibly can. I will refrain from further comment on this matter.

This is a point that's completely irrelevant to the current discussion; just submitting an opinion. My eponymous Claws/Regen Scrapper, after a full outfit with purple/red recipes, can now do +4 police scanner missions solo. However, these expeditions do often represent a real challenge, which is what I want. Running through these things like Darkseid/Thanos tearing apart a kindergarten class, watching the XP bar move up like a thermometer in an oven, is not what I'd refer to as fun. As an example, Black Talon has to be real careful when taking on the Bane Spider Scouts, as (at 54) they label out such damage per-hit that they can (and have) taken him out single-handed. This necessitated some tactical reconsideration on my part: Keep hitting the so-and-so's with Focus to make sure they're on the ground and they'll be hitting back as little as possible, and Reconstruction/Dull Pain in the event said so-and-so's compatriots start inflicting their own serious damage while I'm giving Bud what for. This all means I have to pay attention to the surroundings, incipient and upcoming threats, and personal condition on a continual basis. This, for me, is interesting, and confirms part of the reason why I choose to leave the Incarnate thing to individuals who might be interested in such. This might mean that my alts will be left out of certain team opportunities - as has happened - but I'm quite content to leave those arrangements to individuals who prefer to take that direction.

This thread addresses a point that I've been given a couple of in-game lectures about by my "betters". I have over half a dozen 50s at this point, and still play all of them very regularly; on a daily basis, usually. Although it took a long time, I finally did give in and start outfitting My Boys with a full slate of recipes (including a number of purple sets; was several hundred million bucks, but it seems to have been worth it), and they're now all able to solo level 52-54 police scanner missions, depending on the AT. I have, however, virtually no interest in the whole Incarnate system, and this thread, and its various contributors, have only confirmed what were previously various vaguely-imparted opinons. This has made my beliefs on the subject of a more concrete nature. My Boys have all got a number of different origin types: Magic, Technology, Natural, Scientific, what have you. I've got no urge to start throwing them all into some anonymous pit that strips them of the stories that *I* took the time and effort to create for them and replace it with Hero MCMLXXIV Generic Origin. In The Boys, the super-powered crew finding out their paranormal gifts were not from God, but the work of a rogue Nazi scientist becomes a line of narrative power; it builds to a fricking good story. CoH HC ain't a television show with a single driving story; it's thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of people seeking to create their own stories within the confines of a virtual game setting. Please don't force me, or anyone else, to give up that personally beloved story for a numeric advancement of, as many here have confirmed, dubious value. It's my hope that, one day, a sweeping change will remake HC and that the Incarnate system will become something not too much different from the advancements the characters make during their 1-50 run. There might be a couple of specialized missions you have to do on the way to confirming your +1 - not terribly different from the earn-your-cape mission in the pre-Shutdown days - and the resulting awards will, hopefully, be of real benefit. Until that day, I'm going to stick to my regular 50s, spend time inputting those purple/red recipes (I'd rather be out scrapping bad guys, but I'll live with it), and leave the Incarnate system to those who see value in it. Till then, best to all, and will be keeping an eye on Torchbearer for the next TF-building group.

Since long prior to the Shutdown, it's been the Striga Isle Ernesto Hess TF. No other TF in the game - and I will come straight-out and admit I haven't done more than a handful of them - moves as quickly, has such definitive start/end points for the individual missions, leading on to the next step (always on the Striga Isles map), and has a total 1960s James Bond climax: The Arch-Villain is in his volcanic mountain lair (because God forbid it be a place where families and kids could relax; REAL MEN build a base that's just as dangerous and threatening as they are...or at least want themselves to be), preparing his Ultimate Weapon for its devastating assault on Earth's democratic forces. The burning lava surroundings will inflict as much damage as the bad guys, and the black rock and industrial metal surroundings hammer in the inhumanity of those behind this plot. And - again, in true '60s James Bond fashion - when the Arch-Villain is finally beaten, the Good Guys crew has thirty seconds to evacuate the base before it blows up...taking the PCs with it if still inside. And if a half-decent crew has been putting their time in on this, the whole thing shouldn't take much more than an hour and a half to two hours. Pretty much the span of most movies. I have run the Striga Isle TF, either as instigator or member, both pre- and post-Homecoming's inception, more times than I can count. Any time someone finishes the Striga Isle contact list, and wants to do the best TF in the game, send out the call; I'll be waiting and champing at the bit to put neo-Nazis and their dangerous-toys robots into the trash-heap.

Very interesting topic choice, FenrisWolf44 - I can see a line of argument I can agree with, to some extent, with every poster's submission thus far. On my part, there are just certain villain groups I tend to avoid overall, such as the Carnies; not for any specific difficulty with the minions or even the lieutenants, but those bosses who do the ghost-shift thing and are summoning up phantasms, fake phantasms, inflicting illusory wounds and so forth. The more real-world (if I may call it such) Carnie bosses are more manageable, but there's pretty much a fifty-fifty chance of having a boss come up that, for a solo character, is going to be essentially out of reach. Clockwork - at the early/mid-levels, at least - also tend to be somewhat problematic, and those stupid Gears showing up to inflict what a friend of mine calls "F-you" damage after the boss has been taken out have actually brought down some of my guys who made it through the main boss scrap damaged, but intact. Otherwise, they're pretty much all welcome to line up and come through the BUTT-KICKING HERE door; the backgrounds for the specific alts (the Hero ones, anyway) have origins tied to specific bad guys, and thus those groups tend to end up getting "first-choice" when going through the police-scanner missions. Nemesis...well, just take out the minions first so that the stupid Vengeance power, when the LT. goes, is ineffective, and with Arachnos I ensure that the boys have got some kind of accuracy-bonus power (Focused Accuracy and the like) to get through the Blinding, Smoke Grenades and so forth with as little difficulty as possible. Again, though, I do get the gang's point with regard to their own likes/dislikes; I just pass on all thanks to the writers and Devs who have put this game together in a fashion that offers real bad guy variety, but still keeps things on a somewhat manageable keel.