I was unaware of Bucky's new position - you never posted the correction, but it won't change anything, except that I might have had the Torch attack him instead of Toro. But the Torch's stinky 3 wouldn't have hit either target, so no biggie there.

When Professor X mind controlled the Torch, he made him use his Running Shot. If you look back, you'll see that the first half of the action was to have Torch move to L11. That does put the Torch in range of the Beast's Charge.

Your point about my getting stuck on the map may be valid. If I don't damage Namor soon, I'm going to lose all my chances of getting past his Invulnerable. I still have a few options though, so we can still hold off for now on making changes.

Cap rolls 5 for leadership

Bucky will attack Professor X. Needs 7, rolls 7. 2 to the Prof.

Sub-Mariner picks up Ho at R13 and moves to J16.

Cap moves to K15.

Torch will have to push to attack Beast. Needs 6, rolls 11. 2 to Beast minus toughness.

Captain America @K15
Spitfire (1) H16
Bucky @O10
Toro Q14
Sub-Mariner w/HO @J16R13
Human Torch @@ (1) L11

Keep in mind that Beast and Cap take no damage from pushing. They can move on every turn without any more damage (this is why I pushed the Torch). And of course they regen to full strength and go back to their starting point if defeated.

Namor grabs a worn out tractor from nearby and tries to coerce Cap into moving onward. It doesn't require much convincing.

"Come on, Cap, " he growls, "We need to get into this fray. After all I've seen the Nazis do to Atlantis and all of Europe, I'm ready to give them back the war they'll wish they'd never begun."

Namor was as bloodthirsty as ever. Still, that fire was what Cap needed to reach the portal.

"Lead the way, Prince," he said. Following the Sub-Mariner into the battleground.

Behind a corner, almost unnoticed Bucky saw the Professor take control of the Torch earlier.

"He must do something to his brain," he surmised. While the Professor was plotting with the Beast, Bucky took out firecrackers from his vest pocket. "I was saving these for a special occasion, " he though, "But what could be more special than fighting Nazi criminals?"

He pulled out a coin and refelcted it to get the Torch's attention from skyward. He then took the fireworks and adeptly onto the Professor's wheelchair. Still dazed the Torch took one finger and released a spark strong enough to start the fireworks.

"Bingo!" Bucky yelled out loud, unable to curb his excitement.

The Professor and Beast turned to the boy and realized the situation. Too late. The expolosion was mild but startling enough to throw the Professor off the chair and the Beast into the bushes. Slight burns and temporary deafness inflicted both men.

I have an idea for the second player. After the first gets through to the next level, the second has a finite number of turns until he makes the next level (I'm thinking 3).

So if Cap makes it first, he moves to level two. Beast has three turns to make it to level two. If he can't do it in that time he will automatically move to level 2. This still gives the first player some advantage for being first. Make sense? Any other ideas?

If I, a lowly spectator, may offer a suggestion, I have an idea on a way you could do it. Since this game is all about time distortion, you could simply have both the first and second game going at the same time. For instance, if Cap makes it to level 2 first, then Beast is there with his whole team, but for Gargantua, it's a Beast from the future. For the Beast in the level 1 game, it hasn't happened yet. Makes sense for the whole "time flux" thing, right? Now, basically, your main character has to be the first to get through the portal in all three levels to win. So, say once again that Cap gets to level 2 first. Beast is still there, as I said, but if the level 2 Beast gets through the portal first, and also gets through the level 3 portal first, Gargantua doesn't win unless the level 1 Beast has gotten through the portal. Make any sense?
Also, you could make it that once Cap gets through the portal, Beast can get to his portal and go through it even if his team hasn't damaged everyone on the Invaders. If you don't have some rule like that, a character could just get stuck with an Invulnerable guy, basically he'd just have to sit there and get beat up a bunch of times until he gets lucky and makes a critical hit.
Anyway, just some thoughts I had. I think this is a really good theme, so I thought I try to pitch in. But, if it's not making any sense, then just go about your business and forget what I said.

Either the three turn rule works, or perhaps Rookie Batman's idea of once Cap get through his portal (assuming he does get through first) then that unlocks the Beast's portal as well. But it doesn't matter, cause I'm going to start cleaning your clock now. (Hear me, dice? We're going to start kicking butt now, right?)

Question: do Cap and Beast not push at all, or only if they use their second action to move? That was how I understood it. But I'm okay with it either way.

Professors Leadership is a 1

Cyclops can still use his RCE on Namor, even though he's adjacent because Namor is a flyer. AV6 on DV15. Needing a 9. Gets 7.

Iceman to H13

Angel charges to L16 to attack Cap. AV8 on DV16, needs an 8. Gets a 7.

Obviously the dice aren't listening to me.

R Beast K11 (2 clicks)
R Archangel @ L16
E Jean Grey H14 (2 clicks)
E Cyclops @ I15 (4 clicks)
E Professor Xavier L9 (2 clicks)
V Iceman @ H13

"Sub-Mariner, huh?" Cyclops asked. "Pretty corny name. Let's see just how tough you are, mister!" He fired off an optic blast, but after the one-two shot from the Torch and Spitfire earlier, he was a little shaky. His shot went wide.

"Your bravado is misplaced, stripling," Namor huffed. "Have a care how you speak to your betters."

"Now's my chance," Angel thought. He took to the sky and then went into a dive to gain speed and headed straight at Captain America. But the Sentinel of Liberty was not so easy to surprise. He whirled and got his shield up. It was all Warren could do to pull up and not ram healong into the shield.

"Jean," Iceman said, coming up to her, "I hvae an idea..."

Well the dice worked well for you against Quasar, yeesh I'm still feeling that. It was a replay of Saturn Girl mind-spinning Hawkeye all those times in the Ultimates game.

To answer the easy question the leads can move in every turn, no pushing, cool?

RookieBatman's idea is a good one as well. If one gets through it opens the portal for either and the prior conditions needed to open the door no longer apply. For two reasons I like the three turn rule: A) It gives an advatange to the guy who gets out the portal first--there should be some advantage for the guy who did the work to make it happen and B) it gives the guy left behind a finite number of moves before he starts a new level. If Cap goes first Beast has two turns on the map to make it through anyway, if he hasn't by the third turn he's automatically there. This way if there's a Sub-Mariner blocking the portal he doesn't need to defeat him to get through, within three turns he simply will get through.

I'm open to any variation on the idea. I definitely don't want either of us stuck on a level (Cap is pretty weak, can't imagine him stuck against Cyclops, Prof X and Beast all alone). Gimme your thoughts, I want the game to be fun and competitive, not a drag.

Onto my moves:

Cap rolls 4 for leadership (should we make Cap and Beast's movements NOT part of the 3 moves per turn)

Toro will attack Professor X. Needs 8, rolls 10. 2 to Prof X.

Spitfire runs to I16, attacks Jean Grey, needs 5, rolls 6, moves back to H16. 1 click to Jean.

Cap will attack Angel. Needs 6, rolls 7. 2 to Angel.

Captain America @K15
Spitfire (1) @H16
Bucky O10
Toro @Q14
Sub-Mariner w/HO J16R13
Human Torch (1) L11

"You fight like Captain America, stranger, I'll give you that", Angel comments, "But you're not about to win. Why not just surrender now and we can take this real easy." He reaches out his hand, tentatively, as a sign of peace.

Cap can barely remember the youthful exhurberance of the X-Men. He hates to do this but he knows he must. He reaches out his hand and gives back as welcome a smile as Angel had given, "Thanks, X-Man. That's very kind of you." He quickly knocks Angel out of the air with his shield. "Sorry son. You caon't know how much."

The other Invaders await Cap's cue. Spitfire and Toro in turn take on Jean Grey and Professor Xavier with your degree of success.

"These Invaders are amazing," Xavier says after Toro's hit. "They are devasting my X-Men so quickly."

Beast stares aside, "That's Captain America for you."

Professor X is puzzled, "We will be in for more training my X-Men, I assure you."

"I can guarantee that, Professor," Hank says knowingly.

The puzzled look from the Professor face changes suddenly to one of understanding. Did Hank's words trigger something? Does the telepath know more than he lets on?

Three turns works okay for me. I think we ought to make Cap and the Beast's actions count against the regular 3 per turn. Being able to move them each turn without pushing is advantage enough, I'd say. Do they not even need to rest after two consecutive actions?

Okay, I was wrong about last turn. This is the turn where I turn everything around.

Professor Leadership: 3. Real inspiring, the Professor is...

Jean will TK Iceman to J13

Iceman will push to attack the Sub-Mariner with RCE, AV9 on DV15, needs a 6. Gets a 6. 3 -2 for Invulnerability. Sub-Mariner takes 1.

Beast will try to attack the Torch, AV7 on DV 14, he needs a 7. He gets a 6.

R Beast @ K11 (2 clicks)
R Archangel L16 (2 clicks)
E Jean Grey @ H14 (3 clicks)
E Cyclops I15 (4 clicks)
E Professor Xavier L9 (4 clicks)
V Iceman @@ J13 (1 click)

Jean used her telekinesis to get Iceman out into the fray.

"Sub-Mariner, huh?" Iceman asked. "That must mean you like water. How about some of the frozen variety?" The youngest X-Man used his powers to create a battering ram which took Namor full in the stomach. The Sub-Mariner was far from out, but at least the X-Men had finally gotten in their first hit.

"Nice work, Iceman," the Beast called out, trying to hit the Human Torch again, but the Torch's airborne maneuverability was just a little too much for the Beast to tag him.

Ok Cap and Beast's turn will count against the number of turns allowed per round.

I'd say that Cap/Beast get to move every turn without pushing since they have to fit into the set number of turns anyway it seems ok. If you'd rather not, that's cool, lemme know, this will be your call.

Cap's roll for leadership is 2.

Bucky will attack Professor X. Needs 3, rolls 7. No more mind control.

Torch has to attack Beast. Needs 6, rolls 7 again. After toughness 1 to Beast.

Sub-Mariner attacks Cyclops (wasting his ho). Needs 3, rolls 8. He's out.

At this point I've damaged all but Iceman I think. Hard round.

Captain America @K15
Spitfire (1) H16
Bucky @O10
Toro Q14
Sub-Mariner (1) J16
Human Torch @ (1) L11

Bucky runs up to Professor X and clobbers him quickly with a round of uppercut punches, "You sohlud be ashamed of yourself, mister, corrupting these poor teeangers!". He runs away just as Beast comes by.

"Hank.." the Professor says. Beast comes to his side.

"Professor," Beast says cradling him.

"I know the guilt...the struggle you are having...these Invaders are as much pawns as we X-Men...".

"Professor, what do I do? Race my friend for a future that may not even be the right one?"

"I have no answer my boy. I only know I can feel pride in knowing the boy I've taken in grows to become I man I can admire...". With that the Professor falls unconscious, the first taken out in the rout.

Yes, as soon as you hit Iceman Cap is good to go. Can't say I'm going to be too disappointed to see this round end. It's not that my team was that bad a team. The dice were just merciless.

Angel will attack Cap, AV7 on DV16, needs a 9. Gets a 3.

Beast attacks the Torch, needs the same 7 he needed last time. Gets a 6.

Professor X wheels over to K10

R Beast @ K11 (3 clicks)
R Archangel @ L16 (2 clicks)
E Jean Grey H14 (3 clicks)
E Cyclops KO
E Professor Xavier @ K10 (6 clicks)
V Iceman J13 (1 click)