Project Freedom DVD Commentary (?)

[Shock]

Well allow me to abuse the dickens out of that ;~)
I'm curious if you'd be willing to touch on some of the future adventures leading up to the finale, not in detail, but just some thoughts on major points you wanted to hit on, fallout you were expecting.
I mean, with players in the mix you can never really be sure how things are going to go, and some things take a life of their own, but just generally.

Because I've got a few questions that have been on my mind in regards to a paperweight and it's acting replacement...

Definitely. Ask away.

Let me start by saying that I was planning on having the Lockdown adventure come out of nowhere, making the players (most of them) think that this was really it and you were all going to jail forever. Charlie would have been in on the grift, as the cause was going to be her "punching" Bonham again. Then, once you were on the transport to Lockdown, Wainwright and Ritter would show up and explain the real story.

That would have been fun. How would you have gotten Robin back to prison given she no longer had parole to violate?

I also think "Never Sleep Again" could have been something really fun. Zalman vs an Elder Evil would have been something to see. Also Zane's reaction to said Evil.

[Davies]

That would have been fun. How would you have gotten Robin back to prison given she no longer had parole to violate?

She was going to be separated from the team, directing the work of AEGIS agents outside the prison walls.

[Shock]

That would have been fun. How would you have gotten Robin back to prison given she no longer had parole to violate?

She was going to be separated from the team, directing the work of AEGIS agents outside the prison walls.

I can see it now:

Wainwright: Don't worry Zane. Robin is heading up a team of AEGIS agents to make sure you're extracted safely
Zane: ...

[Davies]

That would have been fun. How would you have gotten Robin back to prison given she no longer had parole to violate?

She was going to be separated from the team, directing the work of AEGIS agents outside the prison walls.

I can see it now:

Wainwright: Don't worry Zane. Robin is heading up a team of AEGIS agents to make sure you're extracted safely
Zane: ...

Wainwright: <waits for the laughter to die down> ... I honestly hoped you had gotten that out of your system already.

[RainOnTheSun]

For what it's worth from a total stranger, reading this game was one of the things that got me into Mutants and Masterminds as a system. It's nice to see it again.

[Davies]

Thank you! I'm happy (if a little bewildered) to hear that. How did you come to read this game in particular out of all the ones on the Atomic Think Tank?

[FuzzyBoots]

Well, it got bumped to the top by Arkite right before the lockdown, and there was, at one point, a list of "notable games of yore" thread that included it.

[Arkrite]

She was going to be separated from the team, directing the work of AEGIS agents outside the prison walls.

I can see it now:

Wainwright: Don't worry Zane. Robin is heading up a team of AEGIS agents to make sure you're extracted safely
Zane: ...

Wainwright: <waits for the laughter to die down> ... I honestly hoped you had gotten that out of your system already.

Zane: Can't stop laughing.... or will start crying... my ribs.... oh my ribs...

[Davies]

Okay, regarding the paperweight bit -- this was inspired by one of Kreuzritter's posts, here. Ritter wasn't quite as scandalous as Billy Ray, but his three month long tenure as head of AEGIS was just as invigorating for the agency, which notably managed to uncover proof linking Overthrow to SHADOW, among other things. It was however very, very hard on Ritter, because he knew perfectly well that he'd been set up to fail and in the process wreck the agency to which he'd given most of his life. He was pretty much a nervous wreck by the time Dame DuMaurier managed to restore Powers to normality, and so Ritter was forced into early retirement, which has worked out pretty well for him.

This would all have been taking place in the background of the next few adventures, especially the Viper's Nest one.

[Arkrite]

Wow, that's not what I was expecting at all.
Based on Ritter's state of mind during the last adventure, and the appearance of Mister Infamy... and the inexplicable transformation of Powers, not to mention Ritter of all people being the next guy in charge of AEGIS?
I thought for sure he'd sold his soul for a chance to regain what had been taken away from him.

[Davies]

Tsk! So paranoid!

[Shock]

Some other things I've wondered about. Not sure all are answerable but it's always fun to speculate

1) What happens when Toxic and Zane have their first bump in the road? How do they get past it?
2) Can Robin manage to set a record and stay in the leadership position for more than 2 missions? Or does she get demoted to figurehead and someone else takes a turn?
3) How does Charlie deal with the isolationist tendencies of her Ultima relatives?
4) How does Donnie stay sane?
5) What does Zalman have to do to banish/defeat the Lord of Bitter Laughter? How far does he have to go and how does the team react? I'm assuming he would have to be prominently involved the scenario.

[Davies]

I'll answer the ones that I can.

2) Can Robin manage to set a record and stay in the leadership position for more than 2 missions? Or does she get demoted to figurehead and someone else takes a turn?

My intention was for her to remain in the leadership position until she abdicates it. While Bartleby was going to be leaving at the end of Oddities, the person who replaced him wasn't going to be any more keen on handing a leadership position to an Ex-Con, so she was going to remain the only qualified candidate unless she did something to disqualify herself.

3) How does Charlie deal with the isolationist tendencies of her Ultima relatives?

At a guess, much like Al or Kar-Zol do -- by spending most of their time in the outer world and only going back when directly summoned.

5) What does Zalman have to do to banish/defeat the Lord of Bitter Laughter? How far does he have to go and how does the team react? I'm assuming he would have to be prominently involved the scenario.

My intention would be that the best he could manage would be to make it go elsewhere, by sacrificing the life of either Vox and/or Dr. Ellis, and that it is still abroad in the World of Freedom at the current time, contributing a lot to the Neo-Iron Age feel of the present. The climax of the Scope Casanova's travels across the World of Freedom was going to be him getting up close and personal with its primary mortal avatar, the Herald of Despair and Torment, Legendary Angel Herald Sisyphus (basically Enoshima Junko of the Danganronpa franchise given magical powers.)

[Arkrite]

1) What happens when Toxic and Zane have their first bump in the road? How do they get past it?

I can speak to this, at least from Zane's side, and largely speculate on the rest.
Zane's entire world is very small when it comes to people. After the end of Project freedom that world would shrink even more, and it's hard to say if Zane would have grown enough by that point to start making more friends.
It's not to say he isn't cable of caring, he cared about everybody on the team to some level (Yes, even Robin) but he was never close enough that they'd explain why they were mad, and he wasn't reading minds anymore leading to a spiral of frustration when it came to most people.
However with Rachel he'd already established a bond, and after their first misunderstanding he pointed out that they'd need to be honest and talk openly with each other.
I believe that would allow them a very good chance of weathering everything that came their way. However it's very easy for people to not talk when they get upset.
I imagine there'd be ups and downs on both sides.
Zane would have issues with the fact that Rachel stayed in the project instead of taking her freedom and supporting it another way. Largely this selfish.
He would know why she was doing it, trying to preserve Wainwright's memory and her dream by seeing it through to the end.
For Zane it is a matter of him not wanting to lose her, something he could easily do if the project ever shut down, or somebody less supportive decided to send the murderer back to jail. But since he couldn't talk her out of it he'd do his best to support her in her efforts, do his best to stay as close as he can... and probably have a few backup plans just in case. (Hey, somebody hired the Doctor out of the Project, if it's just a matter of money that's something that can be accomplished.)


Rachel would have to deal with Zane being... well, Zane.
I imagine that after leaving the project he'd calm down quite a bit, becoming more relaxed and amiable. However he'd still be easily distracted by technology, busy with his business ventures, and his own little adventures I could easily see happening. At least one challenge would just be finding a happy balance of their time.

Would they be happily ever after?
Can't speak to that. But Zane wants a family and he would go to great lengths to make one with Rachel if she was willing.
And I'd like to think they could make it work if they wanted to.

Because I like happy endings.

2) Can Robin manage to set a record and stay in the leadership position for more than 2 missions? Or does she get demoted to figurehead and someone else takes a turn?

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!
I suspect that Robin would be stuck with the leadership role.
Charlie doesn't want it back, Zane never wanted it to begin with (He had the plans, but knew he didn't have the personal bond needed to keep the team strong), and I think the others were happy where they were.

I think she'd be stuck with the position unless she proved herself to be painfully incompetent, or foisted the job onto other people.
Which was a part of Zane's leadership suggestions. Be in charge, just get other people to do the heavy lifting ;~)

3) How does Charlie deal with the isolationist tendencies of her Ultima relatives?

I'd love to see how CD responds to that one.

My thoughts are that Charlie would be happy to visit, hang out, do stuff, and then she'd go right back into the world and see everybody else for awhile. She always struck me as a social butterfly, I think she'd respect their ways but do her own thing.

I was always weirded out by their need to give Charlie a new name.
I was like "aaah, the scary reclusive people are trying to induct Charlie into their cult!" ;~)

4) How does Donnie stay sane?

Cigarettes, deadpan humour and the love of his little girl.

5) What does Zalman have to do to banish/defeat the Lord of Bitter Laughter? How far does he have to go and how does the team react? I'm assuming he would have to be prominently involved the scenario.

Well I had assumed that Zalman would have eaten it... ;~)

[Shock]

My intention was for her to remain in the leadership position until she abdicates it. While Bartleby was going to be leaving at the end of Oddities, the person who replaced him wasn't going to be any more keen on handing a leadership position to an Ex-Con, so she was going to remain the only qualified candidate unless she did something to disqualify herself.

I assumed she'd be the leader on the books, but what would it take for Wainwright to unofficially assign someone else? I'm sure she could manage such an arrangement if she needed to. I'm sure she'd rather see either Charlie or Zane in charge but given that they both had their turn would she try to get Zalman or Donnie to take a turn if Robin proved inadequate? I guess a better question would be, could she make it to the end without the rest of the team forcing Wainwright to do just that?

On the other hand, how bad could she be? (Shut up Zane). What I mean is, how many situations are going to come up where a "command decision" is needed? Charlie made one with the fear gas. Most other big choices were either a group thing or individual calls. Leadership was largely a symbolic position anyway. I think she would have made it to the end and with no mutiny from the team either ;}