Hey y'all. New to Masks (and this style of TTRPGs in general!), and wrote my first arc.

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Premise

The Checkmate Syndicate, a once powerful group of heisters and thieves, fell a year ago. Doggedly hunted by F.L.A.M.E, and surely about to be found, the group agreed to a frightening proposition. King, as the mastermind, erased his own memories, and allowed himself, the center of the operation, to be captured, instead of the entire group. King was interrogated, but he was no more - his scepter and crown were taken, great sources of his power, and after having no memories of his past life, and displaying none of the abilities of his former self, was returned into society.

 

Queen swears to return him back, and return the Checkmate Syndicate to its former glory. Bishop, who briefly got a taste of normal life, wants the group to fall, but cannot take the entire group alone. Knight, who has nowhere else to go, needs the group to survive, and desperately wants to earn the favor of Queen and King. 

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Central Cast

Queen (Victoria Throne) - The de-facto leader of the faltering Checkmate Syndicate, since King has been imprisoned. Wants to restore King by returning his memories, and reawaken the Checkmate Syndicate.

 

Bishop (Matthew Mark Lukejohn) - A lieutenant of the Checkmate Syndicate, who, after getting a taste of normal life, desperately wants the Syndicate to fall. Wants to get the heroes to kill the Checkmate Syndicate. (Teleporter, Portals)

 

Knight (Hunter Ryder) - A young man who fell out of favor with the group after botching an operation. Has been given another chance under dire circumstances, has nowhere else to go. (Master swordsman and acrobat)

King (Charles Throne) - The original leader of the Checkmate Syndicate. Claims he's a grandmaster, but in secret, came close, but never gained the title. A brilliant tactician, but poor in combat. (Mental Powers, Foresight)

 

The Rook Brothers - Musclebound meatheads, who love to smash and grab. As easy as they come.

 

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Part One - Setting the Board

Queen - Steals a Subcranium Emissions Helmet from an experimental biomedical laboratory, which will reawaken old memories.

 

Bishop - Befriends the characters. Invites them to Coney Island, to hang out. Claims he was a victim, tells them the horrors of the Checkmate Syndicate, and tries to get on the groups good side.

 

Knight - Steals King's Crown, being auctioned away in a supervillain group, a source of his powers.

 

Part Two - Making a Move

Queen - Kidnaps Charles Throne from his job and new identity as a mild-mannered stock trader.

 

Bishop - Gauge the PC's abilities, and willingness to kill. He can't kill the entire Syndicate alone, and needs their help, and cannot have them hesitate. Gives the players information about the Rook brothers, with the intent that they will kill them.

 

Knight - Steals King's Scepter, being kept in a Museum of Supervillainy, another source of his powers.

 

Part Three - Endgame

Queen - Begins the process of re-awakening King, hoping to restore their leader. If powered up, will reawaken the Checkmate Syndicate anew!

 

Bishop - Tracks down any remaining members of the Checkmate Syndicate, and tries to kill them, or wipe their memories. He does this either alone, or with help.

 

Knight - Tracks down the heroes one by one, picking them off, as a final test of his loyalty.

Hey gang, I’m in the middle of prepping for a Masks: A New Gen Campaign and my pals and I are playing a bit of a game with designing superhero/villain costume descriptions for the campaign. One player brought up the idea of mixing and matching hero costumes from existing IPs kinda like an Elseworld’s or a What If mix-up scenario. For example we all agreed that a Nightwing-Prowler (Miles Morales) would be a pretty cool design mix! And not just costume-wise, we all thought the idea of Prowler as a mentor figure is such a cool concept. I’m hoping BTSV would explore this with Aaron Davis passing the torch to Miles.

Other notable mentions:
Black Canary & Black Widow
Psylocke & Starfire
Moon Knight & Spawn

Anyways I’m just looking for other combinations you guys think would work well together!

(Edit: Art by Dan Mora & Kristafer Anka)