Best overall book for Champions lore?

thegrandnagus1

Looking at Amazon, I see there are a lot of different books about the Champs RPG. I'm not actually interested in playing that game, but I would like to learn more about the lore that inspired this one. Is there one specific book you would recommend that gives some good info about the Champs world, heroes, and villains?

championshewolf

Champions Universe will have the most bare bones information you are looking for, though if you want more detail you are going to have to dive into other books.​​

tigerofcachtice

1st, I'd recommend the CO Lore Primer that Thundrax put together, available for free.

2nd, owning several Champions books now, the one that is most relevant is Champions Villains Volume 1.

Villains play a bigger role shaping the world than the heroes in the lore do, by design. The RPG wants players to be the heroes, not sidekicks. Thus, the Champions Villains Volumes are what I always go to, to better understand the world.

Consider CO itself, centred mainly in Millennium City, which only exists because Dr. Destroyer attacked Detroit. The most advanced UNTIL unit is Project Clockwork, which exists because Mechanon does. And his biggest rival? Gravitar.

All the Champions Villains Volumes are great, but Volume 1 includes the main characters of both Destroyers, their minions, Mechanon, Gravitar, even Takofanes, and many others. It does lack Grond and Foxbat, but still the best IMHO.

tigerofcachtice

Thanks for asking our opinions. Here's just mine.

The 1st resource is free. It's Thundrax's CO Lore Primer: http://championsonlineroleplayers.shivtr.com/forum_threads/714009

(That website as a whole is very useful, I usually ask my lore questions there.)

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I now own a few digital books. The single most useful book is Champions Villains Volume 1, which includes Dr. Destroyer, Shadow Destroyer, their followers, Gravitar, Mechanon, Takofanes, and many others. I bought them in a bundle with Volume 2 and Volume 3, all really good, but the 1st IMHO is the real must-have.

Here's why: Champions, the setting, really IS defined by heroes, but even more so by the villains.

The heroes are important, but in the Champions world, it's implied the most important heroes are the players. You're not the sidekicks; you're the main characters. The heroes in the lore are more like helpful NPCs, so the story is more about you. For example, the Champions themselves are NOT the most important superteam in the world; that's probably the Justice Squadron in New York, and the idea is so players get a more prominent role. Thus, lore on them is interesting, but are secondary to...

The villains. Now these guys really are the driving force behind Champions. They actively do things that shape the world. Millennium City is the city of the future, but it can trace its origins to Dr. Destroyer attacking Detroit so it can be built. Project Clockwork is an advanced UNTIL unit, that only exists because Mechanon does. And the single person that was most able to take on Mechanon is not Project Clockwork...but Gravitar!

It's been pointed out, and I 1st read this in a comic but I've seen other CO lore hounds mention this, that heroes are always secondary to villains in that heroes REact, while villains act. The idea is that heroes are avengers, they try to right what has been wronged, but as a result they merely follow what villains do. Villains proactively scheme and enact their plans, and that shapes the world.

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Sorry for the long post, no time to write a short one, but I wanted to convey the counter-intuitive yet true nature of the lore, that villains actually have more of a hand in shaping it. All the Champions Villains Volumes are great, but Volume 1 probably is the most relevant of the lot.

tigerofcachtice

Thanks for asking. The number 1 resource is the CO Lore Primer in case you hadn't seen it yet: http://championsonlineroleplayers.shivtr.com/forum_threads/714009

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Then, now that I own a bunch of Champions RPG books, the single-most interesting, useful, and the one I re-read the most, is Champions Villains Volume 1.

You're right that the heroes & villains are the most important aspect. It turns out that, because heroes are avengers, they only know to react, whereas villains act proactively. Thus, villains are actually the larger driving force of the lore.

The most obvious example: consider CO's core location, Millennium City. It's the City of the Future...because Dr. Destroyer attacked Detroit in the 1st place. As much as we may hate to admit it, Dr. Destroyer really shaped the setting.

Then other points of interest. Project Clockwork is probably the most technologically advanced UNTIL group...which only exists because Mechanon does. And Mechanon's single biggest Nemesis is actually Gravitar!

To be clear, this was by design. In Champions, YOU, the player, are the heroes. The heroes in the lore are more like helpful NPCs. Thus, I always found the villains to be more interesting and relevant IMHO.

There's 3 Champions Villains Volumes. All are great, but Volume 1 covers the most important characters: Both Destroyers, their minions, Mechanon, Gravitar, Takofanes, and many others. I personally recommend this.

There will be things that will blow you away, and even after reading the "truth", there's a lot of room for interpretation, particularly around Mechanon. Mechanon is terrifying, disgusting, tragic, all at the same time to me.

tigerofcachtice

Thanks for asking. The number 1 resource is the CO Lore Primer in case you hadn't seen it yet: http://championsonlineroleplayers.shivtr.com/forum_threads/714009

---

Then, now that I own a bunch of Champions RPG books, the single-most interesting, useful, and the one I re-read the most, is Champions Villains Volume 1.

You're right that the heroes & villains are the most important aspect. It turns out that, because heroes are avengers, they only know to react, whereas villains act proactively. Thus, villains are actually the larger driving force of the lore.

The most obvious example: consider CO's core location, Millennium City. It's the City of the Future...because Dr. Destroyer attacked Detroit in the 1st place. As much as we may hate to admit it, Dr. Destroyer really shaped the setting.

Then other points of interest. Project Clockwork is probably the most technologically advanced UNTIL group...which only exists because Mechanon does. And Mechanon's single biggest Nemesis is actually Gravitar!

To be clear, this was by design. In Champions, YOU, the player, are the heroes. The heroes in the lore are more like helpful NPCs. Thus, I always found the villains to be more interesting and relevant IMHO.

There's 3 Champions Villains Volumes. All are great, but Volume 1 covers the most important characters: Both Destroyers, their minions, Mechanon, Gravitar, Takofanes, and many others. I personally recommend this.

There will be things that will blow you away, and even after reading the "truth", there's a lot of room for interpretation, particularly around Mechanon. Mechanon is terrifying, disgusting, tragic, all at the same time to me.

tigerofcachtice

Thanks for asking. The number 1 resource is the CO Lore Primer in case you hadn't seen it yet: http://championsonlineroleplayers.shivtr.com/forum_threads/714009

---

Then, now that I own a bunch of Champions RPG books, the single-most interesting, useful, and the one I re-read the most, is Champions Villains Volume 1.

You're right that the heroes & villains are the most important aspect. It turns out that, because heroes are avengers, they only know to react, whereas villains act proactively. Thus, villains are actually the larger driving force of the lore.

The most obvious example: consider CO's core location, Millennium City. It's the City of the Future...because Dr. Destroyer attacked Detroit in the 1st place. As much as we may hate to admit it, Dr. Destroyer really shaped the setting.

Then other points of interest. Project Clockwork is probably the most technologically advanced UNTIL group...which only exists because Mechanon does. And Mechanon's single biggest Nemesis is actually Gravitar!

To be clear, this was by design. In Champions, YOU, the player, are the heroes. The heroes in the lore are more like helpful NPCs. Thus, I always found the villains to be more interesting and relevant IMHO.

There's 3 Champions Villains Volumes. All are great, but Volume 1 covers the most important characters: Both Destroyers, their minions, Mechanon, Gravitar, Takofanes, and many others. I personally recommend this.

There will be things that will blow you away, and even after reading the "truth", there's a lot of room for interpretation, particularly around Mechanon. Mechanon is terrifying, disgusting, tragic, all at the same time to me.