Masters of Metal Marvel Campaign
From The Summoners
The Marvel Game ran from 1988 thru 1994. During that time there was a core group of characters that were present thoughout the entirety of the campaign. As time went on players would experiment with different characters with varying degrees of success.
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Principal Story Arc - Origin Story
The game took place in Stamford, Connecticut. The year was 1988 and the local group of heroes was already well established. The Enforcers were a group that was led by Air Assault (Steve Bond). The Enforcers were extremely capable of using the media to their advantage and were considered to be local “super stars”.
The group operated out of a corporation called Business Mech International (BMI) that was owned by Steve Bond. The business funded the group’s expenses and projects. One such project was an artificial intelligence program that was to be used in a number of mass produced robots whose function was to fill out the Enforcer’s ranks. As artificial intelligences are wont to do, it became sentient and was threatened by the prospect of losing its identity and being used as a tool. Thus the proto type “Vibraton” fled BMI.
The Enforcers tracked Vibraton to downtown Stamford where a large battle took place. The Battle caught the attention of several people. Dr. Luke Frangione saw the destruction of much of his business, Frangione Enterprise, in the battle. He donned and experimental suit code named “Stelectro” and entered the fray in an attempt to halt the fighting. The seismic activity caused by Vibraton led a traveling subterranean named Mind Touch to investigate the cause and ascertain any threat to his lands. The subterranean’s alien-like appearance caused members of the Enforcers to attack Mind Touch; forcing Stelectro to oppose them. The city wide conflict also came to the attention of an alien who was in search of violence. He joined the fight against the Enforcers only because they were winning at the moment. It wouldn’t be until later when the alien explained his focus in life that he would be given the codename “Predator".
Realizing that the Enforcers were not the heroes the world thought them to be; Stelectro, Vibraton and Mind touch decided to join forces to protect Vibraton, uncover the nefarious plans of the Enforcers and reveal them to the world. Predator joins for the promise of more violence. They knew that they would be fighting the established group, the “good guys”, and that the people of the city would believe they were on the wrong side of the law. They named their group The Renegades.
In time, the Renegades would gain two more members.
BMI’s chief rival in the field of robotic weaponry was Maine Industries. Headed by CEO Thomas Maine; Maine Industries produced bleeding edge technologies that was sold to various U.S. contracts. BMI and Maine constantly clashed in the court room but BMI began employing more underhanded methods to cripple its competitors and enrich themselves from the spoils. It was during one of these encounters that Maine, in the guise of armored bodyguard The Cavalier, fought with a super powered villain called The Corporate Raider. The Renegades became involved researching corporate espionage/sabotage that had struck Frangione Enterprise. The trail led to the Corporate Raider and the revelation that he was a member of the Enforcers. Recognizing that that had the same foes, the Group invited Cavalier to join and it was accepted.
John Beard was a student of the arcane arts and had trained in various alternate dimensions. As an expert in xenolore, he was intrigued by the presence of an alien and a subterranean in a news report he happened to be watching. Believing that he was best equipped to determine and deal with this potential threat; Master Mystic traveled to a public fight between the Renegades and the Rhino to confront the group. Feeling that this group of outsiders would make the perfect tool to advance his goals, Master Mystic asked to join and was accepted.
In time, the Renegades would face many different foes and solve many different crimes. Eventually they revealed the Enforcers for the thugs they were and gained the appreciation of the city.
Principal Story Arc: The Metal Wars Begin
Quite by accident, the Renegades stumbled onto a major event, placing themselves at the very heart of a secret war.
During a routine encounter at an abandoned BMI research facility, the Renegades thwarted what appeared to be a looting and scavenging attempt by a group of cyborg militia called The Hitmen. Among the devices they had selectively stolen form the abandoned location was a “high-tech pencil sharpener” with no discernible function beyond sharpening pencils. The device was The Galvanic Analyzer and its existence, and the Renegades possession of it, would launch the Metal Wars.
Lead by The Re-Maker; The Masters of Metal was a group of villainous robots, androids and cyborgs who launched a series of attacks on military targets and business resources. Their modus operandi involved acquiring powerful weapons including government nuclear and biological devices, salvaging raw materials from the destruction they wrought and above all attain the Galvanic Analyzer. The Masters of Metal were by far the most dangerous group the Renegades had ever fought. Many encounters ended in stalemates with great loses on both sides. Thru it all though; the Renegades held the advantage by preventing the Masters of causing damage on a large scale and most importantly keeping the Galvanic Analyzer safe.
As the conflict expanded, the U.S. government wanted closer control of the Renegades. The agent assigned to the Renegades was a man named Tom Gloval. Equal parts helpful and frustrating; Gloval empowered the Renegades to pursue the Masters of Metal into international territory at the same time hobbling the team within the U.S. boarders. The Renegades found themselves being directed more and more by the government which diverted them from more important missions. The Masters gained much ground during this time, including the theft of the Galvanic Analyzer.
The Final phase of the Metal Wars was complete. With the Galvanic Analyzer in his possession and enough resources scavenged from the various battle fields, The Re-Maker was able to implement his ultimate weapon: The Floating Citadel Island. The island was a monstrosity that was being constructed at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Jersey. A veritable weapon platform; Citadel Island spanned four miles and possessed the fire power of a small nation. The tidal wave that erupted when the island emerged from the ocean floor wiped out most of New Jersey and the island began a path of destruction south-west toward Washington D.C.
Battered and weary; the Renegades concluded that the only way to stop the Masters of Metal was a direct assault on the island. Boarding the newest incarnation of their combat assault chopper, The Nighthawk MK 14, the group conducted a frontal attack. The losses were staggering. Mind Touch was battered into a coma, Vibraton was disassembled and Master Mystic had his limbs broken. With the last bit of power in his suit, Stelectro focused all his power into one final blast that brought the Re-Maker to his knees. The effort destroyed the Stelectro suit. It all was not for naught, for the losses allowed the Cavalier to make his way to the Galvanic Analyzer that was powering the island and destroy it. The resulting explosion destroyed half the island and disintegrated the cavalier and the Re-Maker. Luke Frangione took control of the island and crashed it into the ocean.
The Renegades had won, but it was a Pyrrhic victory. Two Members were dead, another in a coma, the leader lost his powers with the loss of his suit and the Predator left in search on an intergalactic war. Though they won, the Masters had as well; for they had ultimately destroyed the Renegades.
Principal Story Arc: The Avengers
The U.S government approached the remaining members of the Renegades with an offer; reform the group as a new branch of the Avengers. Remembering the difficulties such government ties brought to the renegades, the heroes were reluctant to enter into an even closer relationship. Yet the offer was enticing; the government would help rebuild Vibraton, rebuild the Stelectro armor and offer the resources of Avengers past and present. In the end Master Mystic and Luke Frangione agreed and The Avengers Expeditionary Force (AEF) was formed.
The Avengers held public tryout for new members. Many came out and the group gain new members Black Shot, Aaron Stack (Machine Man), Slash, Lightning and a new Cavalier sponsored by the new CEO of Maine Industries; Thomas Maine’s “identical twin brother” Richard. The AEF was guided by a government liaison who was forced upon the group; Byron J. Gamble.
The Avenger’s headquarters was a newly constructed mansion constructed in North Stamford and designed to the specifications of Frangione and Maine. The group also ceased use of the Nighthawk choppers and began using Avenger Quinjets as their primary source of transportation.
The early days of the AEF found conflict with villains like the Wrecking Crew, Doctor Doom, Juggernaut, The Ani-Men, Arcade and a rampaging Hulk. This time was also marked by a contentious rivalry with a group called The Power Legion lead by a man called Power Master. Though the group had much success in these encounters it was not without difficulty. The new group was a collection of varying personalities and managed to work together only by the leadership of Stelectro. As the Avengers went about fighting crime, a disturbing trend began to show. It began when the Rampaging Hulk was subdued and an examination revealed the source of his madness…The Galvanic Analyzer. If the return of the device that was destroyed during the Metal Wars was not perplexing enough, the mystery deepened as multiple Galvanic Analyzers began turning up. During one fight over a resurfaced device, Vibraton vanished with out a trace. It began to be clear that the many of the random crimes were anything but and were being directed by an unknown leader.
The Avenger’s main nemesis at this time was a duo of powerful entities known as Demonicus and The Dark Lady. Together they arraigned for others to do their work collecting the devices known as Galvanic Analyzers. Eventually the Avengers would come in direct conflict with the two often fighting to a standstill. With the help of a mysterious demon named Mephistopheles the Avengers eventually triumphed over Demonicus, imprisoning him in an extradimensional prison. During this time The Dark Lady completed her goal of collecting and constructing a giant orbital Analyzer with enough power to destroy the earth.
The Dark Lady needed a particular power source, Stelectro. In the attack, Stelectro sensed that something was amiss and allowed himself to be captured. The rest of the Avengers launched a rescue. Once inside the orbital doomsday device, Stelectro was able shut down the outer defenses granting entry for his comrades. Together the group faced The Dark Lady and defeated her.
The Avengers returned to Earth as heroes but the respite would prove to be short lived as the most damaging arc in the groups history was about to erupt.
Principal Story Arc: Metal Wars II Ensues
It began with a series of concerted attacks on Manhattan. Lead by the Re-Maker, the new Masters of Metal was nearly three times the size of the previous group with an army of Hitmen behind it. What was worse; the second-in-command was none other then the Avengers old ally Vibraton. The attack was swift and decisive. In only two hours the island was defeated, contained in an impenetrable force field and the residents enslaved. Broadcasting from the Empire State Building, The Re-Maker addressed the world. His attacks would halt, claiming only the island and proclaiming sovernty and negotiation would begin; if the group once known as the Renegades was handed over to the Masters.
When the demands were not met, the Masters of Metal launched attacks on military targets in the surrounding areas. The Avengers attempted to counter attack but each time met with defeat due to ambush and other devious means. It was if the Masters of Metal were always one step ahead of the group. The Avengers joined forces with other local heroes, most notably The Power Legion, and began coordinating combined strikes on Master held location with varying degrees of success. The Avengers found themselves constantly restricted by their government liaison Byron J. Gamble. Military aid would be called off without warning, missions would be redirected and objectives not directly related to stopping the Masters of Metal would be ordered. The Avengers began to distrust Gamble and attempted to circumvent him whenever possible.
As the war waged on, the group began suffering attacks of a more personal nature. Relations of the heroes, people protected by secret identities, were targeted by the Masters. One mission found the Avengers answering a distress call from the subterranean home of their old ally Mind Touch. Against the wishes of Gamble, the Avengers traveled to the underground realm and were confront by a group of Masters of Metal slaughtering the peaceful Subterraneans and searching for the still comatose body of Mind Touch. Free of government meddling, the Avengers struck hard and beat back the villains. As victory was within their grasp and the villains lay defeated the leader of the assault force, Vibraton, used his seismic powers to destroy the underground civilization killing hundreds of thousands and allowing his escape. The enormity of the mounting death toll began to take a toll on the Avengers. With only the near lifeless body of Mind Touch, the last of his race, the Avengers returned home.
But there would be no home to return to. Using activation codes and hidden access tunnels; the Masters of Metal launched a surprise attack on the nearly empty headquarters. The multi-million dollar estate was destroyed.
Quickly relocating their Headquarters to Frangione Enterprise; the Avengers once again fought the Masters of Metal at Three Mile Island. The Masters were dispatched and the remaining attempted to flee. During the retreat, Blast Master turned on Vibraton and left him for the Avengers hoping to reclaim his second-in-command status and buy time for the bulk of the retreating Master to escapes. Damaged, betrayed and surrounded by old allies, Vibraton surrendered. Stelectro deactivated the robot and return with him to HQ.
The Avengers were ordered by Byron J. Gamble to answer for their recent activities. The hearing was held in the Stamford Town Hall. Gamble accused the group of insubordination, reckless endangerment for the unauthorized assault on Three Mile Island and gross incompetence. As Gamble berated the heroes, Master Mystic lost his temper and threw a punch at the man. Gamble was unfazed by the attack and returned the blow ten times over, sending Master Mystic through a wall. Realizing that they were dealing with a real threat, Stelectro attacked, holding nothing back. Gamble stood up to the attack and smiled, metal gleaming from underneath the destroyed ragged “skin” around his face. The Re-Maker was reveled. The Re-Maker told Stelectro that he still felt the pain of the devastating focused attack that brought him down during the fight on the Citadel. He returned the favor right then, blasting Stelectro with a focused attack from his fusion cannon that leveled the Town Hall, sending the crumpled body of Stelectro several blocks away. At that moment the combined forces of the Masters of Metal attacked the city in an attempt to bring the state to its knees.
The Avengers rushed to the aid of their fallen leader. But one stayed behind. Sensing that this opportunity could not be passed up, Cavalier attacked the Re-maker in an attempt to take advantage of his weakened state. But the Re-Maker was not weak. He returns the attack and batters the Cavalier into the ground. The fight is brutal and short.
The Avengers rally around the near dead remains of Stelectro as a war breaks out around them. Separated from Cavalier, they try to make there way back to help. Machine Man breaks through only to be destroyed for his effort. The Re-Maker collects the shattered remains of the Cavalier as a trophy and departs the field, flying south toward Manhattan. There, the Re-Maker will imprison Richard Maine and torture him daily.
Across town, the Power Legion reacts to the invasion and organizes a defense. Taking command of the army forces stationed in the city, they mount a counter attack on the Master of Metal. They are largely successful until facing the leader of this wave, the villain known as Firepower. Firepower proves to be a formidable foe and is nearly indestructible. Out of desperation one of the members of the Power Legion, Rockwave, attempts to defeat Firepower by focusing a sonic attack at the largest weapon mounted on the back of Firepower; little realizing it is a tactical nuke. The bomb detonates killing the Power Legion, Firepower, and leveling half the city of Stamford.
When the dust settles the forces of the Masters of Metal have been turned back In the wake is a destroyed city, Stelectro clinically dead, Cavalier missing, Machine Man in pieces, Slash insane and an army in tatters. Master Mystic regroups with what heroes are left and takes control of the group.
Realizing that it was the association to the government that empowered their enemies to hurt them and achieve so much in this war; Master Mystic decides that they can no longer work within the frame of the law. From that point forward they would no longer be restricted by the code of the Avengers. They would kill as necessary, strike targets that disabled the Masters of Metal ability to wage war and not just stop but destroy their enemies. They would be Renegades. The Avengers was disbanded and in its place stood Master Mystic, the power house Samson, the feral Bast, Hellhound and Sterling. Master Mystic also ordered Sterling to reactivate Vibraton. The Renegades would put an end to the Masters of Metal and conduct the fight with the same philosophy that had driven the Re-Maker; this time it’s personal.
Master Mystic leads the Renegades with reckless abandon. Targeting Master of Metal strongholds, the group leave a bloody path of destruction in their wake. The Renegades are directed into combat with little thought of concern for their own welfare. Several Masters are destroyed, and key locations are regained. Eventually the power source of the force field surrounding Manhattan is destroyed allowing the army to advance into the city. But these gains are not without cost. Samson and Bast are casualties of the fighting. The Renegades must evade the U.S. army, sometimes even coming into conflict with them. The group begins to squabble internally and all the while Master Mystic drives them forward without regard to their well being. Only one thing matters; the total destruction of the Masters of Metal. As time goes on, Master Mystic begins to lose his focus on the war. He begins to court the wife of his fallen comrade Stelectro and in her grief she lets him. As the war begins to enter a stalemate, Master Mystic spends more time with Maria Frangione. He proposes and she reluctantly says yes. Wedding plans are rushed and on the eve of a major push into Manhattan, they arrange to be married in a rebuilt church in Stamford. To the surprise of all in attendance, the ceremony is interrupted by the arrival of an armored being. It’s Luke Frangione, Stelectro, who emerged from his secret rehabilitation to put a stop to everything. When confronted by his friend, Master Mystic lashes out. He denounces Luke and his prolonged absence. The group is his, so too is the woman Luke abandoned in his cowardice. Under his leadership; the Renegades had done more to turn the tide of war then Stelectro was able to do. Stelectro counters that the group is a shell of its former glory. Master Mystic had led the group into the realm of villainy. All the successes the renegades had achieved was countered by the massive losses. Enraged, Master Mystic attacked Stelectro. In the end Stelectro won. Master Mystic demanded that Maria and the group decide matters rather then have things forced upon them. Maria, though she was hurt by the uncertainty of Luke’s “death”, would not give up on the marriage. The Renegades too wanted Stelectro back in charge. Defeated and disgusted, Master Mystic acceded and vanished.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Stelectro refocused the Renegades and launched an attack into the final stronghold of the remaining Masters of Metal; Manhattan. The battle was vicious, but heroic. The Renegades assisted the armed forces of the U.S. and defeated the remains of the Masters of Metal. They drove to the Master’s HQ and defeated Blast Master. During the raid they came across and freed Richard Maine who re-equipped himself with a cashed Cavalier suit. From that point forward he was a much darker hero due to the damage he had sustained. Manhattan was freed and the Masters of Metal were defeated. But the war was not yet over. The Re-Maker had escaped and he would not rest until his enemies and those they loved were destroyed.
The Re-Maker first struck Maine Industries, leveling it and killing many people close to Richard Maine. Then he attacked Frangione Enterprise, ripping the top most levels off the building, abducting Maria Frangione and killing Sterling who attempted to protect her. He then created a floating citadel out of ruined buildings and set about destroying all the loved ones of his enemies. But he didn’t get far. Using the Galvanic Analyzer technology apprehend from the Dark Lady, Luke kit bashed power enhancing devices and distributed them to the technologically powered members of the Renegades. Powered by the artifact, the Renegades were finally a match for the Re-Maker. The fight was long and brutal, but in the end Stelectro focused the power of the device through his armor and killed the Re-Maker.
When it was done, Stelectro reflected on what this war cost him. It cost him his friends, it forced him to lie and most importantly, it drove him to kill. Luke decided to retire and tend to his devastated business and his fractured marriage. Leaderless and directionless, the renegades disbanded for the final time.
Solo Careers
Notable Player Characters
| PC | Hero Type | Secret Identity | Player | Campaigns | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vibraton | Sentient Robot | Public, but... | Jeff | Masters of Metal Campaign | Member of the Renegades, Then Master of Metal, Then Renegades, Then Infinity Corp |
| The Cavalier | Exoskeletal Human | Thomas/Richard Maine | Kenta | Masters of Metal Campaign | OPEN |
| Stelectro | Exoskeletal Human | Dr. Luke Frangione | Luke Frangione | Masters of Metal Campaign | OPEN |
| Mind Touch | Subterrainean Alien | Public | Ben Houx | Masters of Metal Campaign | OPEN |
| Master Mystic | Human Spell Caster | John Beard | Jim Armstrong | Masters of Metal Campaign | OPEN |
| Slash | OPEN | OPEN | Gordon Walker | Masters of Metal Campaign | OPEN |
| Predator | OPEN | Unknown | Ryan Laurent | Masters of Metal Campaign | OPEN |
| Inferno | Cursed Angel (Demon) | OPEN | John McAdams | Masters of Metal Campaign | OPEN |
