Plight of the Paperboy: A Marvel Universe campaign

It's a well-known fact that in a comic-book universe, the profession of paperboy is a dangerous one. This campaign, set in the Marvel Universe, involves the attempts of a series of superheroes to try to protect an innocent paperboy through various assassination attempts, kidnappings and mutations.


One player will be using the various heroes trying to protect Tommy. The other player will operate the myriad of cold-hearted villains out to do the poor lad dirt. Heretofore, the two players will be referred to as the Hero and the Villain.

Feat cards may be used freely in all scenarios.


MAPS: Several of these scenarios require using specific map. If a particular map is not available, then the players should be able to decide on an appropriate substitute. Resolve any disputes with a die roll.


FEAT CARDS: Feat cards may be freely used by either player. Unless the players mutually agree otherwise, neither may use the In Contact with Oracle card or the Lazarus Pit card. (The two cards that are specific to the DC Universe and thus inappropriate for this campaign.)


VICTORY POINTS: Keep a running total of victory points through the first two scenarios. These will have some effect on the final scenario.


BACKGROUND: Young Tommy works hard as a paperboy, trying to raise enough money to pay for his kid sister Lilly’s badly needed operation. Tommy’s a likable little scamp—honest, stalwart, and hardworking. In fact, when he one day witnessed a mob hit while biking along his paper route, he did not hesitate to report what he saw to the proper authorities. Unfortunately, this puts poor Tommy on a mob hit list.


SCENARIO #1: The mob hires a costumed hit man and a few accomplices to take out Tommy. Fortunately, a superhero happens along, summoning the cops as he charges in to save the paperboy.


SET-UP: The Villain is first player. When picking maps, he MUST choose an outside map and may NOT use a map from the Marvel map set. (No recognizable Marvel locations for this scenario—the hit attempt is taking place in a generic NYC location.)Otherwise, choose sides and set up normally.


TEAMS: Use 100 point teams.The Villain picks any version of ONE of the following characters: Boomerang, Bullseye, Deadpool, Hobgoblin (or Jack-o-Lantern instead of Hobby), Electro, Beetle, Stilt Man, or Sabertooth. To round out his team to 100 points, he may use Lackeys, Henchmen, Thugs and/or Criminals. He may use duplicates of these generics.


The Hero uses any version of ONE of the following characters: Spider Man, Wolverine (or Logan or Patch), Captain America, Cloak and/or Dagger, Black Panther, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Power Man, Falcon, Hawkeye, Shang Chi or Punisher. To round out to 100 points, he may use Gotham PD (representing NYPD) and/or any of the different SWAT cops. He may use duplicates of these generics. The Hero must also use the paperboy pog, but does not count it towards his total point build.


SPECIAL BODYGUARD RULE: When setting up, the Hero assigns one character to be Tommy’s Bodyguard. He sets up the pog adjacent to this character. The pog cannot be given actions of its own until after his bodyguard is KO’d. The bodyguard can take actions normally—if he moves, he carries Tommy along. If he moves, he must use the slowest of the two movement ratings (his or Tommy’s). After movement, he places Tommy in any adjacent space that can be legally occupies.As long as the bodyguard is active, Tommy is immune to ALL damage. When the bodyguard is KO’d, Tommy can be damaged normally. Also, when the bodyguard is KO’d, the Hero may begin giving Tommy actions as if he were a part of his force.


SCENERIO LENGTH: The scenario continues until one side has lost more than 50 points of characters. It ends at the end of the round in which this happens.


VICTORY: Calculate victory points normally. The Villain gets 50 bonus points if Tommy is KO’d.


SCENARIO #2: If Tommy is KO’d during the last scenario, then he’s rushed to the sick bay at the nearby Avengers Mansion. If he survives the scenario, he’s taken to the Mansion for safekeeping. Once there, his wounds are treated and he’s given a tour. Meanwhile, the Enchantress has realized that Tommy was the seventh son of a seventh son and is therefore a “nexus of all realities” Gaining control of him could give her unlimited power. Knowing that the most powerful Avengers are off on a mission, she gathers together a force of extra-dimensional aliens for cannon fodder, then attempts to kidnap the paperboy.


TEAMS: Use 200 point teams. The Villain uses the Enchantress and any number of Fire Demons and Rock Trolls. She may also include the Executioner on her team. If the Enchantress clix is not available, then she hires (or seduces) another villain to do the dirty work for her. Use any Masters of Evil character who is 100 points or less.


The Hero must use whatever named hero (or heroes) he used in Scenario #1, plus any figures with the Avengers keyword who are 100 points or less. He must also, of course, use Tommy—who this time DOES count as part of his point build. He also has the option of using ONE of the following SHIELD characters (who is on a liaison mission at the mansion): Nick Fury, Clay Quatermain, Gabe Jones, Sharon Carter. He may use the Jarvis pog, but can also assume its Jarvis’ day off.


MAP: Use the inside Avengers Mansion map.


SET-UP: The Hero sets up first. Tommy and the hero or heroes who fought for him in the first scenario are set up side-by-side in a room decided by a die roll:

1-2: The central monitor room

3-4: The kitchen

5-6: The lab


The rest of the hero’s teams are set up in other rooms, no more than two to a room.


The Villain then sets up normally along the side of the map containing the front entrance.


Place objects normally. The Villain will move first.


KIDNAPPING TOMMY: To kidnap Tommy, the villain must make a successful close combat attack against him, with Tommy adding 2 to his defense value. If the capture is successful, the figure that grabbed him cannot perform attack actions, but only move while carrying Tommy with him. He moves as whichever of the two movement values (his or Tommy’s) is lowest. Tommy is rescued if the kidnapping figure is KO’d. If the kidnapper makes it back to his starting area with Tommy, he escapes from the map with the poor paperboy.


“DON’T HURT THE KID!!!”: The Hero may not perform an Energy Explosion or Pulse Wave attack if there is any chance at all of hitting Tommy.


VICTORY: The scenario lasts 12 rounds. Calculate victory points normally. If the Villain successfully escapes the map with Tommy, he gets a bonus 75 points.


SCENARIO #3: If the Enchantress gets away with Tommy, then he is later in turn stolen from her by an even more powerful magic-user. If she fails to kidnap him, then he’s snatched away by this powerful mage while he’s visiting his sick kid sister in the hospital.In either case, the mage takes Tommy to another dimension, with plans to draw out Tommy’s hidden magical powers for nefarious purposes. The Avengers, with the help of Dr. Strange and the Defenders, race to rescue him before it’s too late.


TEAMS: Use 500 point teams.The Hero uses the named hero who originally fought for Tommy in Scenario #1, plus any characters with the Avengers keyword, plus any version of Dr. Strange and any characters with the Defenders keyword. No duplicates of named figures allowed. (For instance, you could not use both the Avengers Hellcat & the Defenders Hellcat, just one or the other.)


The Villain uses one of the following figures: Loki, Dormammu, Nightmare, Morgan le Fey, Karnilla, Sutur, or any version of Umar. He may use Fenris and/or Ulik. He may also use the following figures from the DC, Ultimates and Indy universes: Hellboy, Abe Sabian, Ultimates Abomination, Hecate, Swamp Thing, Fury, Arcane, Man Bat. He may also use any number of Fire Demons and Rock Trolls. In this scenario, these all represent magical creatures working for the arch villain. Marvel Zombie characters may also be used—representing evil doppelgangers of heroes summoned by the main bad guy. Multiple versions of them may be played, since they represent hoards of the same species and not individual characters.



MAP: The first player picks one of the following maps: The Japanese Garden map from the Indy set, the Swamp map from the Hellboy starter set, or the convention exclusive Castle Ruins map.

SET-UP: Roll for 1st player. Choose sides and set up normally. The Villain places Tommy in the corner of the map on either side of his starting area.


VICTORY: The Scenario lasts 12 rounds. Final victory depends on whether Tommy is rescued.


POOR, POOR TOMMY: Tommy is being held in stasis while his magical energies build up inside him to dangerous levels. He cannot be moved and cannot be given actions.


RESCUING TOMMY: To rescue Tommy and automatically teleport him back to Earth, one of the Hero’s figures must make a successful close combat attack against him. (Adding 5 to his defense value.) Dr. Strange and the Scarlet Witch can use their knowledge of magic to rescue him with a ranged combat attack, but with a maximum range of 4. If Tommy is rescued, he is immediately removed from the map as he gets zapped back to Earth.


IMPORTANT NOTE: If the Villain is ahead on points, then Tommy’s faith in his heroes is at low ebb because he keeps getting beaten up and kidnapped. There is an extra 3 added to Tommy’s defense (a total of 8) for rescue attempts. The magical status field encasing him is more effective if he lacks the will to fight back.


VICTORY: If Tommy is rescued AND the Hero is ahead on points, then the Hero wins the campaign at this point.If Tommy is NOT rescued, then he mutates into a super-powerful magical being that proceeds to destroy the entire universe.


If Tommy is rescued BUT the Villain is ahead on points, then Tommy’s faith in his heroes is forever shattered because he kept getting shot at and kidnapped and taken away from his sick kid sister and by golly NOBODY DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!!!!! In this case, the Hero is technically the winner, but Tommy grows up to be an embittered supervillain. “All will bow before the awesome power of…. THE PAPERBOY!!!!!”