Back in the late 1980s, my buddies and me put down our 1st Edition AD&D rule books and took a crack at playing super heroes for awhile. I had the serendipitous pleasure of meeting Jeff Dee, co-creator of the RPG Villains & Vigilantes the first time I attended the Michiana Comicon back in '85. I'd been a fan of his art since I first cracked open the basic D&D rule book back in '81 and had bought the V&V rule set just a few months before meeting Mr. Dee. I was stoked, so the summer of '85 my pals and I put down our swords and spell books, donned tights and acquired superhuman powers in the name of justice.
In this short-lived fervor, many characters were created and some pretty memorable adventures took place. Over the years, we'd played many different RPGs, including frequent returns to V&V, but none of the latter characters could seem to top those first handful of heroes. At one time, not so long ago, I even entertained the idea of chronicling our adventures in comic book form, but life always has a way of getting in the way of one's plans. So, for the hell of it, here are a team of characters you're likely never to see. Some of their names and abilities have been modified from their original versions due to just plain corniness, but here goes:
Six-and-one-half inches of action, Action Figure packed enough miniature high-tech ordinance to take on a small army.
A human "soul" trapped in an android body, Atomika was a walking nuclear generator.
A "low level" telepath, Blue Frost's real power was his telekinetic-like ability to generate ice and cold. Blue Frost was killed in the line of duty by a team of super-powered female assassins, but returned a short time later as the Deadman-esque Psycho-Phoenix.
Armed with an anti matter blade and the incredible strength of his robotic body, Centurion came from outer space to warn Earth of an impending invasion.
The team's leader, Star Hawk possessed vast pyrokinetic abilities, which he used to hurl bolts of flame and create fiery wings which enabled him to fly.
Able to run super humanly fast, Tesla also wore a special suit that generated electricity with each step.
Who knows, maybe one day these heroes of yesteryear will see the light of day, perhaps in the 1980s sequel to Hollywood Heroes. Until then, keep it here, boppers.
