LogFAQs > #972619507

No one necessarily demanded it, but this post kicks off the beginning of another long meandering list - this time of my personal Top 100 NPCs in the campaign so far. Because, you know, who doesn't enjoy witnessing a Board 8er arrogantly diatribe over his use of copywritten and trademarked characters created by someone else and written dozens of someones-else (it's like attorneys-general) for express purpose of earning that mon-ee for a large, soulless corporation?

When the first campaign began, I had honed in on specific thematic elements that would differentiate one territory in Gotham from another. There needed to be an overarching connectiveness, a similar tissue that made Gotham what Gotham was in each locale, but for each leader, there was a different style of governing, a unique makeup of political and cultural thought. One could philosophize over the virtues of each territory in Gotham - even, hopefully, the most miserable, disturbing places. As a player, one had to concede that Victor Zsasz was supremely successful in holding his land for months on end, after all. But it would be in the clash of ideologies that the players would forge their own opinions. While some truths in Gotham were easy, common understandings to come by, it would be the more bitter pills that some of you found difficult to swallow. Perhaps none moreso than trying to find the virtue in ending a war between two otherwise reasonable leaders. Decisions had consequences, actions had repercussions, and all of those hung in a net of characters anchored by specific thematic elements. Fear, love, loss, pride.

The second campaign began under the umbrella of one single question: "What does 'the end' mean?" Perhaps more specifically, the large overarching theme in Campaign 2 has been this - "When faced with the prospect of the Apokolips, how does one react?" As a result of that larger question, one of death, the afterlife, of survival, dozens of others begin to spin out. What is valuable - tangible or otherwise - to those burdened with recognizing that they exist at the precipice of the end of civilization as a whole? Denial of the end carries with it a certain unglued optimism or naive stupidity. Acceptance of inevitability might simply crush one's very spirit. Or, there can be will enough to fight back; and in that decision, another otherwise difficult puzzle is posed. What motivates one to fight, knowing that even in victory, a win comes at the price of a world turn to ash. Rubble, a kingdom. Ozymandias, king of the ruins.

This second list won't be recounting events - for the two readers who have followed along thus far, I apologize. Instead, I just want to present some poorly organized musings on the characters which I think have laid a foundation for a campaign I've been quite proud of so far. To witness our players and their characters shift, change, stretch, even bend to the point of breaking as they contend with the Day Evil Won, the Final Crisis, has been an immense pleasure. Hopefully, this list and the rewards attached to it for those players who managed to predict it accurately, will be worthy of all of the effort you've put into what has been the most enjoyable and rewarding part of the last two and a half years of my life.