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What the Books Actually Say About Club Caprice
canadascott
Posts: 1,257 Arc User
While I hate copying and pasting out of the sourcebooks, there's enough discussion on Caprice that I think it would be valuable to have what the books actually say as a reference (and fortunately it's short enough that I don't think it hurts the IP. As usual, I encourage people to buy the PDFs, because there's some great stuff in there and I think RPers in particular would find it inspiring.
Caprice is introduced in the Millennium City supplement, which says:
"One restaurant/club thriving on its super human cachet is Club Caprice, an upscale club in Riverton opened by Lewis (Masquerade I) Frey, a thief and master of disguise who battled Black Mask in the 1950s... He got out (of jail) in 1985 and after apprenticing in a couple of Chicago restaurants opened Caprice in 1995. With clever marketing and deft menu planning, he maneuvered Caprice into one of the genuine hot spots in Millennium City. Part of Caprice's popularity derives from the frission of danger that patrons get from dining in the establishment of a known supervillain. Rumors say that shady deals and criminal activities go on in the private rooms upstairs at Club Caprice, and Nighthawk reportedly watches the place closely."
-- Millennium City (Champions 5th edition supplement, 2004), p. 43
That's Caprice's public reputation, but later on, in the GM Secrets Vaults section, the record is set straight.
"The rumors are just that -- Fray is truly retired. He just goes out of his way to foster the notion that untoward things happen in his club, especially to the press, to keep his patrons pleasantly on edge. The idea has taken such deep root, however, that some criminals have begun to hang out at Caprice. Frey may soon find himself playing with fire."
-- Millennium City (Champions 5th edition supplement, 2004), p. 96
Later, in Champions Universe, which was approved by Cryptic (Millennium City predates the Cryptic purchase of the IP by about five years) it says:
"Naturally, the members of the Superhuman World don't want to mingle just on the field of battle, they want to socialize outside of work as well. For villains this is difficult... For heroes, at least ones on good terms with the law, it?s much easier. The main problem they have is keeping a curious... and vulnerable... public away from their favorite watering holes.
"The two primary socializing spots for superheroes take very different approaches to resolving that problem. The first is Club Caprice, located in one of the buildings in the City Center complex of Millennium City. Parts of Caprice are open to the public in general (and are very popular, especially with "hero groupies" hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite "cape"). But other parts are off-limits to anyone who doesn't have superpowers. Built by Trans-City Construction to be extra-durable, equipped with security devices designed by Dr. Silverback, and staffed by extremely competent personnel (several of whom have low-level superpowers themselves), Club Caprice is the perfect place for a hero to unwind. It's jumping nearly every night of the week, though things don't really "get started" until after most heroes have finished patrolling their cities and decided to stop by for a drink. A few socially acceptable villains, such as Lady Blue, have even been allowed in from time to time."
Champions Universe (Champions 6th edition, 2010, p. 38)
Hope this is illuminating.
Caprice is introduced in the Millennium City supplement, which says:
"One restaurant/club thriving on its super human cachet is Club Caprice, an upscale club in Riverton opened by Lewis (Masquerade I) Frey, a thief and master of disguise who battled Black Mask in the 1950s... He got out (of jail) in 1985 and after apprenticing in a couple of Chicago restaurants opened Caprice in 1995. With clever marketing and deft menu planning, he maneuvered Caprice into one of the genuine hot spots in Millennium City. Part of Caprice's popularity derives from the frission of danger that patrons get from dining in the establishment of a known supervillain. Rumors say that shady deals and criminal activities go on in the private rooms upstairs at Club Caprice, and Nighthawk reportedly watches the place closely."
-- Millennium City (Champions 5th edition supplement, 2004), p. 43
That's Caprice's public reputation, but later on, in the GM Secrets Vaults section, the record is set straight.
"The rumors are just that -- Fray is truly retired. He just goes out of his way to foster the notion that untoward things happen in his club, especially to the press, to keep his patrons pleasantly on edge. The idea has taken such deep root, however, that some criminals have begun to hang out at Caprice. Frey may soon find himself playing with fire."
-- Millennium City (Champions 5th edition supplement, 2004), p. 96
Later, in Champions Universe, which was approved by Cryptic (Millennium City predates the Cryptic purchase of the IP by about five years) it says:
"Naturally, the members of the Superhuman World don't want to mingle just on the field of battle, they want to socialize outside of work as well. For villains this is difficult... For heroes, at least ones on good terms with the law, it?s much easier. The main problem they have is keeping a curious... and vulnerable... public away from their favorite watering holes.
"The two primary socializing spots for superheroes take very different approaches to resolving that problem. The first is Club Caprice, located in one of the buildings in the City Center complex of Millennium City. Parts of Caprice are open to the public in general (and are very popular, especially with "hero groupies" hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite "cape"). But other parts are off-limits to anyone who doesn't have superpowers. Built by Trans-City Construction to be extra-durable, equipped with security devices designed by Dr. Silverback, and staffed by extremely competent personnel (several of whom have low-level superpowers themselves), Club Caprice is the perfect place for a hero to unwind. It's jumping nearly every night of the week, though things don't really "get started" until after most heroes have finished patrolling their cities and decided to stop by for a drink. A few socially acceptable villains, such as Lady Blue, have even been allowed in from time to time."
Champions Universe (Champions 6th edition, 2010, p. 38)
Hope this is illuminating.
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Post edited by canadascott on
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I think I can imagine how Club Caprice could have evolved from its first description to the second over the intervening years. Criminals could indeed have begun to congregate there, and superheroes might have begun casing the joint incognito looking to gather intel to take them down, probably enlisting Lewis Frey's help. Frey might even have alerted the heroes himself with concerns over his more dangerous clientele. The whole affair would likely have culminated in a super-battle which undoubtedly damaged part of the club. Up until that point, though, the heroes would have enjoyed the opportunity to socialize and have developed a confidential relationship with Frey. They would of course have offered to help repair the club, but Frey, being a smart entrepreneur, instead proposed using this opportunity to make their informal association formal and public; turning Caprice into a club catering to superheroes, rebuilt and redesigned for their special requirements, where they could share the company of others in their rather exclusive profession, in a more relaxed environment than "on the job."
Looking around Club Caprice on a typical night, this is SO true. Life. Life imitates art.
Is there an actual menu of Club Caprice in those books? If so, my credit card is ready.
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I like the part that "socially acceptable villains" were allowed in.
I didn't see any mention of "EvilOverlordsOfTheQliphothicRealm" style people being let in.
In fact, I found this information pretty nice!
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Lord Liaden's suggestion on integrating the timelines is a good one, except that negates the criminal element of the club for those who want to RP it. And of course, role players will do what role players do, lore or no lore, and some younger players can't play anything but a self-centered sociopath or psychopath to save their lives, having been trained by other MMOs, pop culture, and other games to solely adopt those roles. Moreover, most of them are quite happy playing roles that don't quite appeal to me, and who am I to tell them that they're wrong? Nigh miraculously, a few of them actually play them really well!
So we're pretty much where we started with this controversy, two diametrically opposed interpretations of lore, both with some support in the source material: superhero club vs. shady criminal hangout. While I'm not comfortable with many of the excesses found at the club, particularly the open murder and unregulated, consequences-free violence, brazen threats in front of multiple, respected superheroes which are laughed off by god modding players, and I believe neither interpretation of lore supports that level of violence, it is probably for the best just to let Caprice remain as it is.
Hey Scott - where did Liaden post this? Back on the Hero Forums? Cause I don't think I've seen him post here in over a year. Got a link?
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Hey Logan, look up one post above you.
D'OH!!!
That's just embarrassing...
(Guess that's what comes of mentally editing out Signatures when I'm speed-browsing.)