Who is the Scarlet Shield?

tigerofcachtice · February 2014

Hi, I heard rumours among the Costume Contest crowd, then read on the forums, then saw for myself that there were indeed new costume pieces named "Scarlet Shield".

Who is this person please?

drgmstr · February 2014

Name does sound familiar...I think they were a hero from the 60s who was from Detroit? I'd have to refresh my memory on CO lore.

vitalityprime · February 2014

From Champs Universe:

"After Mr. X's retirement in the mid-Fifties, Detroit had no superhuman champions until 1966, when football star Reggie Morgan became the Scarlet Shield. Throughout the civil rights struggle (including the devastating 1967 riots that caused $150 million in damage), Scarlet Shield tried valiantly to keep peace while battling racism, with limited effect. Morgan died in 1974 when he was shot by assassins working for organized crime"

flyingfinn · February 2014

'After Mr. X's retirement in the mid-1950s,
Detroit had no superhuman champions until 1966,
when football star Reggie Morgan became the Scarlet
Shield. Throughout the civil rights struggle (including
the devastating 1967 riots that caused $150 million in
damage), Scarlet Shield tried valiantly to keep peace
while battling racism, with limited effect. Morgan
died in 1974 when he was shot by assassins working
for organized crime.'

-From Champions Universe-

EDIT* HA!:biggrin:

bulgarex · February 2014

The Millennium City source book has a complete write-up for Scarlet Shield, including PnP game stats and an illustration. In 1966 Reggie Morgan was a third-season starting wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, when the "notorious mad scientist" Dale Dekkar kidnapped him, along with other physically-fit human subjects, for a new treatment he was testing to create an army of super-warriors. Reggie was the only one to survive the treatment. With his newly enhanced strength Morgan broke out of his restraints and defeated Dekkar and his superhuman henchmen, Vortex and the Green Knight, and delivered all three to the police. He kept the Knight's shield as a souvenir.

Banned from playing football due to his now-superhuman physique, Reggie became a crime-fighter in Detroit, wearing a red bodysuit and spray-painting the Green Knight's shield the same color. (His true identity was known to the public.) While he fought gangs and organized criminals in Detroit, the Scarlet Shield is best remembered for his involvement in the civil-rights movement in the 1960s and '70s. Although generally supporting the cause, he tried to be a voice for moderation and restraint, but was often vilified by both sides, viewed as too lenient by the police, as a tool of the Establishment by blacks. Scarlet Shield also set up fan clubs in poorer parts of Detroit to try to inspire youngsters to stay in school and give back to the community.

The Combination, as the organized criminals of Detroit were called at the time, hired the super-assassin Grave to kill Scarlet Shield in 1974. Rocketman of the famed hero team, the Sentinels, brought Grave to justice. The late hero's shield today hangs in the Sentinels' trophy room, and Scarlet Shield has a statue in Memorial Park.

tigerofcachtice · February 2014

Ah, awesome, thanks for this insight.

He sounds like a pretty interesting character.

themightyzenith · February 2014

Thanks Bulgarex....any chance of seeing that illustration of him?

eiledon · February 2014

Here ya go Mil

imho - they have done a fine job following the design

scarletshield_zps7191951c.jpg~original

From the Book:

Appearance: Scarlet Shield was a large black man,
standing 6'3" and weighing 250 pounds of pure
muscle. He wore a red skintight costume with a
cowl that left his entire face exposed but covered
the top of his head. His boots, gloves, and other
highlights were a darker shade of red, as was his
shield, which was about three feet long and squared
off at the top.

For a bit of fun, I used my Fighting Falcon char as a base and gave him Scarlet Shield's outfit (as best I could with the parts to hand). By Coincidence, Falcon is also 6'3" but was slightly slimmer, so needed a bit of a mass increase.

scarletshieldCO_zpscad13980.jpg~original

scarletshieldCO_zpscad13980.jpg~original

vitalityprime · February 2014

Where can you get the Millennium City source book?

themightyzenith · February 2014

eiledon wrote: »

Here ya go Mil imho - they have done a fine job following the design

From the Book:

Appearance: Scarlet Shield was a large black man,
standing 6'3" and weighing 250 pounds of pure
muscle. He wore a red skintight costume with a
cowl that left his entire face exposed but covered
the top of his head. His boots, gloves, and other
highlights were a darker shade of red, as was his
shield, which was about three feet long and squared
off at the top.

Thanks for that Liath....yup, it looks like they have followed the original design closely. I still think it would be great to be able to colour the chest shield design differently than the rest.

I've got a good feeling that we're getting shields :biggrin:

eiledon · February 2014

You could do worse than check here

http://www.herogames.com/forums/store/category/12-champions/

If you are stateside I did find a copy on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Hero-System-Champions-Millennium-City/dp/B001N1EXOE/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1391610045&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=millennium+city+hero+games

bulgarex · February 2014

vitalityprime wrote: »

Where can you get the Millennium City source book?

Easiest and cheapest place would be the online store of the website for Hero Games, publishers of PnP Champions and many other fine game books.

MC can be ordered in either PDF, or a combination of PDF plus hardcopy, for a ridiculously low price.

bulgarex · February 2014

Honestly, I find it comforting whenever the Cryptic design team takes its cues from the original PnP character illos. Some of their past choices for changing a character's look seemed to have been governed by a desire to "look cool," with less than salutory results.

drgmstr · February 2014

If you look closely it's the golden age chest piece with just the outlines. :biggrin:

tigerofcachtice · February 2014

eiledon wrote: »

That's so cool, thanks for both. This answered the question behind the question.

fudgemonsta · February 2014

Now I can only wonder, what would a dead superhero's costume pieces be apart of that could be leaked?

Oh, the possibilities. :biggrin:

bulgarex · February 2014

fudgemonsta wrote: »

Now I can only wonder, what would a dead superhero's costume pieces be apart of that could be leaked?

Oh, the possibilities. :biggrin:

Personally, I'd love to see a few more "legacy" heroes taking up the mantle of retired or deceased supers. The setting has a rich history with many notables like SS mentioned and described. Probably couldn't make them PCs, or course, but NPCs would be cool.

canadascott · February 2014

At the very least, it's a nice way to celebrate American Black History month in CO.

bulgarex · February 2014

OMG, that never even occurred to me! Shrewd observation Scott.

crypticbuxom · February 2014

I'm betting if the tech for shield weapons were in place, we would have gotten to see that too.

ninten92 · February 2014

themightyzenith wrote: »

Thanks for that Liath....yup, it looks like they have followed the original design closely. I still think it would be great to be able to colour the chest shield design differently than the rest.

I've got a good feeling that we're getting shields :biggrin:

Actually, I'd heard the Scarlet Shield tights set was never supposed to be put in the PTS or Live tailors, it was added in on accident, IIRC.

In any case, I hope they bring the character, or any 'legacy' character into the game as a prominent NPC. Black Mask was/is neat.

We need more local, Westside heroes instead of just, uh... Kodiak and Burt Jackson? Maybe Nighthawk? I dunno.

Actually, more NPC superteams aside from the Champions would be great.

Also, yes, MOAR SHIELDS please!

bulgarex · February 2014

The Millennium City Eight would be fun to see. Lady Liberty, Raaktor, Steadfast, Psiphon, El Aguijon, Megaera, Stalker, and Commando Rubberbando (the press named him).

A link to an illo of the MC8 from the cover of Digital Hero #13: http://staino.deviantart.com/art/Digital-Hero-Cover-65951127

tigerofcachtice · February 2014

ninten92 wrote: »

Actually, I'd heard the Scarlet Shield tights set was never supposed to be put in the PTS or Live tailors, it was added in on accident, IIRC.

I heard something along those lines, too, and true or false, the real question is:

Why did Cryptic North make the Scarlet Shield tights in the 1st place?

So it got leaked by accident, but there must be a reason for it to exist to begin with.

Who among you know? You can reply here if you're comfortable...or PM me privately.

eiledon · February 2014

speculation on my part - but im hoping we are getting a rampage or mission that involves time travel back to the mid 70s Champs universe - maybe as part of the Destroyer story. Would love to fight alongside the Fabulous
Five, the Justice Squadron, the Sentinels amongst others. They have so much IP that they have barely scratched the surface off.

bulgarex · February 2014

1985 (Champions Earth's official timeline) saw the so-called "Secret Crisis" (comic-book inside joke), "a war across space and time involving almost all of the heroes that had ever existed, or ever would exist." (Champions Universe p. 25) That's all the info about it to date.

Who is the Scarlet Shield?

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