The HeroClix Roleplayers' Society!

HRS Exiles
Chapter 3: Murder by Numbers

Are you tired of brawl after brawl without a story behind it? Have you wanted a bit of plot to go along with your Clix related mayhem? Do you want to help create the rosters for superhero teams and supervillain societies? Do you like weirdly fun mashups between different Clix sets? In the Heroclix Roleplayers' Society, decisions like these are yours for the making! So grab your Clix, your dice, and join the HeroClix Roleplayers' Society!

We invite you to join us for Series 4: Exiles!

Previously in the Heroclix Roleplayers' Society, In series 1 and 2 of HRS 2.0, we followed the Changers as they tried to save a dark timeline from destruction, and later as they repelled a Kree invasion of Earth. But the HRS multiverse is expanding. We just visited Weirdworld for a bit, and now we'll join a new team: The reality-hopping EXILES!

Previously:
Chapter 1: The Magnificent Seven
Chapter 2: The Kids are Alright

Also available to play through:
Previously in HRS 2.0
A Finer World
Begins here and ends here.

Earth War
Begins here and ends here.

Weirdworld
Begins here and ends here.

Heroclix Roleplayers' Society - A Primer

The Heroclix Roleplayers' Society (HRS) is a large scale role playing game where the story is based on games played by the players, and the events are based on the story. Every other week, a new chapter will be posted that does two things.

First, each posting will start with a story update. These updates will advance the plot of the story, update players on the rosters of active teams, and layout the plot behind the next battle. The story will be heavily influenced by the actions of the players that post their results to the HRS threads. While the overall story is planned ahead of time, huge portions of it will be created by you, the players!

Secondly, each post will come with an event for HRS members to play in. These events will be similar to events run by local venues. They will have point values, team restrictions, and/or special rules that are in affect for the game. These events can be run with a friend, or in a tournament setting if your local judge is running HRS events.

After you have completed a HRS event, simply post an after actions report to the HRS thread, and your game will help determine what happens next!

NOTE: While games played in earlier chapters won't count toward canon, new players are always welcome to play older scenarios and post their results.

And now onto HRS Exiles: The Kids are Alright!


"That was some Lord of the Flies type stuff back there," Jen said as her growing team teleported into the next earth. They stood between two brick buildings, the smell of the ocean in the air. A dockside neighborhood, Jen thought. But something wasn't quite right. She looked around, squinting, then turned her gaze to her own hands. "Oh. Huh."

"What?" Stark said.

"I'm trying to figure out if I've gone all Gray Hulk over here or if we're..."

"Oh lovely," Loki said. "Everything's in grayscale. Like an old Earth movie."

Jen started at the young, underpowered version of the Norse god distrustfully. She'd had too many encounters with the older, less charming version of him on her own world to fully trust this one, even if the Tallus had demanded she recruit him.

He was awfully adorable, though, in a younger man kind of way.

"Aaaaand THAT was a disturbing thought," Jen said out loud to herself.

"What was?" Loki asked.

"Nothing. Just monologuing," Jen said. "So we're here to recruit our team detective. Let's go have a look around."

And that was when she heard gunfire break out. Stark stared at her.

"That sounds like the sort of ridiculous use of ammunition I would have invented," Tony said.

"I think that's a tommy gun," Jen said. "Come on."

"We're going toward the gunfire," Stark said. "I--oh, my."

"Oh my what," Jen said, deadpan. Stark pointed at the ground beside her. "Oh come on."

Looking up at Jen adoring was a tiny twig of a creature, enormous dark eyes regarding her with love.

"Baby Groot was NOT supposed to come with us," Jen said.

"This isn't my fault," Loki said.

"You jumped right to defensive mode there, kid."

"Sorry," Loki said. "There's just this weird tendency for people to blame me for things I didn't do."

"Right," Jen said. She scooped Baby Groot up and tucked him on her shoulder. "You stick with me, little guy. Do NOT leave my side, okay?"

Baby Groot nodded solemnly.

"I don't know where you folks came from," a figure said from the shadows in a gravely voice. "But you showed up in the wrong neighborhood."

The newcomer wore a long trench coat and a mask that was partially obscured by a fedora. They had their hands stuffed in their pockets casually.

Jen immediately recognized the person as a street-level hero from her own world--or at least a film noir version of that hero, dressed up like Humphrey Bogart cosplay.

"I think we're here to recruit you," Jen said.

"Is that so," the detective said. "Well, I'm not going anywhere just yet. The biggest crime boss in town is about to murder a reporter down on the docks threatening to expose his operation. I need to put a stop to that."

"Good thing we're here to help, then," Jen said.

"Normally I don't take help from dames," the detective said with crooked smile. "But you look like you know how to throw a haymaker or two."

"You bet your sweet bippy I do, stranger," Jen said.

"I am Groot," Baby Groot said.

The Scenario
Murder by Numbers

Create two teams of equal point value as agreed upon by both players. If possible, use a map on a dock or urban outdoor setting.

Team 1: The Exiles
She-Hulk
Tony Stark
Loki
Baby Groot
The Detective - choose a street-level hero from any Heroclix setting to be the detective character.
Optional: Police Backup
This team can be filled out with generic police figures - include one named character as the Sympathetic Cop--an officer or detective who is friendly to the vigilante and willing to lend a hand taking down the crime boss

Team 2: We Run the Docks
Crime Boss - choose a named character to represent this character
His capos - chose 2 to 4 named thugs to be his hired guns
Generic gangsters, thugs, or criminals
Bonus: If you'd like, specify which famous crime family or organization this team belongs to (League of Shadows, the Hand, the Foot, Hydra, AIM, anything you choose). If you do this, be sure to explain in the write-up why they control the docks.

Special rules: The Reporter on the Run. Choose any journalist or reporter character in heroclix format (Lois Lane, Ben Urich... any non-powered reporter). Put them a the center of the map. If Team 1 becomes adjacent to this character first, they automatically join the team and can assist. If Team 2 gets to this character first, they may attack the character to "kill" (KO) them. At the end of each round, the reporter will run its maximum movement in the straightest line to either corner on Player 1's starting zone side. If they reach this space without either being KOed or recruited, they escape and leave the map.

Post your results:
Who is the Detective?
Who is the Crime Boss?
Who is the Reporter?
Did the Reporter escape/get recruited/die?
What organization was the Crime Boss running?
NOTE: For tracking purposes so your play-through can be accurately counted, please include this information at the very end of your official post. It's okay to edit the results--just make it visible at the bottom so I don't miss your official results!

Current Roster:
The Exiles:
The Recruiter: Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk
The Scientist: Doc Stark, from Old West
The Kid: Young Loki
The Detective: TBD

Bonus mission: TBD

Team 1 The Untouchables

Force Build 9142895 0
Set	#	Name	Team	Pts	Value
SWB	100	She-Hulk		90	SELL
GOTG2M	002	Groot		30	SELL
SWB	020	Tony Stark, Inventor		30	SELL
TMT	050	Loki, Agent of Asgard		60	SELL
RE	001	Deathstroke		100	SELL
NFAOS	017	Dum Dum Dugan		60	SELL
RE	008	Adeline Kane		30	SELL
Force Total:				400	$0.00

Detective: The Deathstroke
Police: Adeline Kane and Dum Dum Dugan


Reporter

Force Build 9142895 1
Set	#	Name	Team	Pts	Value
ADW	028	Ben Urich		10	SELL
Force Total:				10	$0.00

Vs


TEAM 2 The Cobalus syndicate

Force Build 9142895 2
Set	#	Name	Team	Pts	Value
EAX	029	President Osborn		50	SELL
BTAS	008	Two-Face		75	SELL
BTAS	050	Bane		100	SELL
EAX	042	Montana		50	SELL
EAX	041	Fancy Dan		50	SELL
RE	019	Ravager		75	SELL
Force Total:				400	$0.00

Crime boss: Mayor Osborn/The Goblin
District attorney: Two-face
The Capos: Bane, Montana, Fancy Dan, And Ravager


Story: coming soon.


Results:
The Untouchables!
Survivors: She-Hulk, Loki, Tony Stark, Groot, Adeline Kane, And Dum Dum Dugan
Detective: Deathstroke
Crime Boss: President Osborn
Reporter: Ben Urich
Summary: Ben Urich choose to stay and fight only to be crit killed by Osborn’s goons.
It was by the wire but Loki delivered the kill to Mayor Osborn ending his reign. Poor Deathstroke never had a chance as his daughter KO him with a blade of six. Groot and Dugan were an all star team as they brought down Ravager via via crit miss. Overall the fight was over and Deathstroke joined the Exiles on the condition he could bring his daughter knowing she needed help recovering from Osborn’s experiments.


Note: To make the game more intense I made an eight count timer indicating Osborn escaped via ship.

Yay, Baby Groot! And thankfully, I've got both of those Young Lokis, so they'll see some play!

THE EXILES

Force Build 9143139 0
Set	#	Name	Team	Pts	Value
SWB	100	She-Hulk		90	SELL
SWB	020	Tony Stark, Inventor		30	SELL
WKM	M-027	Loki		115	SELL
GOTG2M	002	Groot		30	SELL
FFADW	004	Jessica Jones		75	SELL
EAX	025	Luke Cage		100	SELL
ABPI	009	Black Panther		45	SELL
ABPI	009T	Granted the Mantle of White Tiger		5	SELL
EAX	009	Police Sergeant		30	SELL
SFSM	003B	Captain Stacy		30	SELL
HQ	028	Renee Montoya		50	SELL
HQ	013	GCPD Officer		30	SELL
JW	007	Commissioner Gordon		30	SELL
BTAS	024	Lock-Up		40	SELL
Force Total:				700	$0.00

THE MAGGIA

Force Build 9143139 1
Set	#	Name	Team	Pts	Value
SFSM	011	Kingpin		75	SELL
EAX	039	The Rose		40	SELL
EAX	020	Crime Master		50	SELL
EAX	040	Mr. Negative		65	SELL
DXF	031	Tombstone		100	SELL
DP	014	Hammerhead		90	SELL
LG	063	Blockbuster		136	$1.08
IIM	004	Maggia Goon		20	$0.47
IIM	004	Maggia Goon		20	$0.47
IIM	004	Maggia Goon		20	$0.47
IIM	004	Maggia Goon		20	$0.47
IIM	004	Maggia Goon		20	$0.47
DXF	020	Hit-Monkey		40	SELL
Force Total:				696	$3.43

That's right - Veteran Blockbuster is in the mix. I was trying to go for suit-wearing aesthetics, and since they've never remade that guy, he's still in the Bat-Baddie box... and his suit is hard to miss, even if you're trained by time to look around his giant form.


The Story:

The Maggia runs the docks, and that's why they don't worry too much about making noise as they chase down intrepid reporter Lois Lane, who is busy wishing she was wearing flats as she runs from the ashen-skinned creep calling himself Tombstone... not to mention the crazy Hammerhead mainiac that's blasting his way through walls on her trail like a rhinoceros. She's thinking she's about had it, given the amount of goons she laid eyes on during their 'secret' meeting... and the last thing she's expecting is a giant woman to fall from the sky and put herself between them.

"These low-rent mafi-so-sos giving you trouble, ma'am?" Jen asks.

Lois, ever quick on her feet, doesn't miss a beat. "That they are. Kick the tall one in the undercarriage hard enough and he'll crumple so you won't waste time pounding on his thick hide."

"Good to know." A She-Hulk of a boot to the groin drops Tombstone to his knees, and lo and behold, there's another tough-as-nails broad stepping up behind them to finish the job with a right cross that doesn't give a hoot about that tough skin of his.

"Wow," Jen notes to Jessica Jones. "You didn't even spill your drink."

Jones chugs from the bottle, with a shrug. "I've got talent, see."

"Now there's something ya don't see every day," Lois smarts. Jen's expecting it to be about her, until she remembers she's not green here. No, Lois is looking at Jessica and her decidedly unladylike demeanor. "Question for you, Slacks. Were you just here on the dock drinkin' with the sailors when we happened by, or you tagging along with the Amazon?"

"I'm actually from Ohio," Jen says, hoping to forestall whatever argument this reporter is trying to start. Jones just gives her a withering look.

"Don't mind her," comes the deep bass of Officer Luke Cage. "She's just warming up."

"Yeah," Lois says with a squint. "Inside and out." Suddenly, she feels her hat being tugged off her head. "Hey, what gives?"

Baby Groot is sitting on Jen's shoulder, reaching out branches to try to ensnare the chapeau. "He doesn't like hats," Loki chimes in, having shifted his wardrobe into something suitable to the grayscale gangster film they've apparently tumbled into.

"Everyone's a critic," Lois grumbles. "I'd be mad if that little guy wasn't the most adorable thing I've ever seen, and believe you me, mister, I've seen some adorable things in my day. So, whoever you are, can you help a girl get out of here alive?"

"I'd love to," Jen says, "but the one with the bottle doesn't like taking help from dames."

Lois raises an eyebrow. "A woman who hates other women? Now that's rich."

"Dames are usually wearing heels and impractical skirts," Jones barks, and Lois is certainly dressed THAT particular part. "Only one L away from being a damsel, and there's never been a damsel that wasn't in distress, see."

"I wouldn't mind seein' her out of dis dress," Hammerhead sneers, thinking he's clever, ignoring that Loki is rolling his eyes. All three of the women turn on a dime and yell "SHUT UP!"

Hammerhead just laughs... because a moment later, a huge giant bald mass of manhood in a suit that looks like the tailor had to make it out of a hot air balloon steps up behind him. Flanked by goon after goon after flunky after flunky.

"You're under arrest," Officer Cage says, trying to take the giant's hand, only to be lifted up and gut punched all the way back to the precinct... which brings his backup pouring onto the docks, charging in to subdue the henchmen.

During that distraction, no one sees the monkey with the gun. A monkey with a gun shoots Lois in the leg, and Hammerhead backhands her before she can recover, falling into a heap.

Jones contorts her face and leaps into the air, aiming to slam hard into the group of henchmen... but her balance is off enough that she lands hard on that contorted face instead of on her feet to create a shockwave (crit miss quake!).

"That was a lot to happen in two seconds," Jen breathes, bracing herself for a harder fight than she expected.

"Oh, but there's more," Loki says, drifting back to circle around with Groot on his lapel.... and with a waggle of his fingers, suddenly, Big Bald Blockbuster turns and pounds Hammerhead down into the dirt... before looking dazed and confused about what just happened. Jen doesn't waste time in exploiting that befuddlement, and she hits the behemoth with a powerful one-two combo that puts him down for the count.

The Rose and The Crime Master have seized upon the chance to commit a massive gang-swarm on Jones, but the hard-bitten dame detective isn't going to stumble twice, and she starts laying into the toughs, and even cracking Crime Master across the jaw. Soon, she's back to back with Jen, fighting off all comers.

Jim Gordon and his officers scramble to try and pin down that hit-monkey, unable to catch the slippery rascal - that is, until Black Panther shows up and catches it with amazing agility, and gives it a neck pinch to put his lights out before he takes off after Mr. Negative.

"Black Panther is a cop?" Jen asks, incredulously, since local law enforcement seems a little below the King of Wakanda's purview. Then she punches a Goon.

"Every precinct has one," Jones says, clobbering a Flunky. "Part of Internal Affairs' plan to curb abuses of power by good ol' boys wearing the badges. They wear masks, so they can't be targeted with the garden variety white terrorism when they call out the bad apples."

"That's... an interesting plan," Jen notes, her legal mind going to work on the implications there, before another thought hits her. "Wait, everybody is grayscale here and you STILL have racial tension?"

"Shades of gray are still shades - FFFFF!"

Jones is suddenly dropped by a keen shot from The Rose, and the fact that her bottle smashes all over the asphalt is a sign that she's really out. Before Jen can respond, she's blasted with an electrical discharge from Mr. Negative that puts her lights out as well.

"Now THAT'S a waste of bourbon," Tony Stark mutters, as he's finally finished putting on his armor to wade into the fight, heading after Crime Master while Loki deigns to take out The Rose. After the Iron Man separates Crime Master from his goons, Groot is able to slink in and knock him out with a thorny tendril. "I am Groot!" he yells adorably.

The police, for their part, are tending to Lois Lane's wounds while Panther, Gordon, and Montoya use a little technical trickery to take down Mr. Negative, and with all three capos down, the remaining goons start to scatter.

"Well, that's that?" asks Stark from behind the armored mask.

"Not hardly," Captain Stacy grunts. "We're here for the Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk."

"I AM GROOT!"

All heads turn, to see a little tiny baby tree boy with giant long viny arms wrapped around the legs of a giant fat man, dragging him very slowly out of the warehouse. Fisk can't get his balance, and he's thrashing wildly at the vines, until more of them reach up and wrap around his wrists as well. Then, flowers bloom up on those vines and puff a few clouds of some kind of horticultural sleeping gas into his face, turning that struggling weight into dead weight. Not actual DEAD dead weight, just not awake weight.

Loki smiles widely at that. "I... am Groot," he says to the little guy, who beams proudly at the praise.


WINNERS: THE EXILES
Survivors: Iron Man, Baby Groot, Loki, Captain Stacy, Commissioner Gordon, Lockup, Black Panther, Renee Montoya, GCPD Officer


Who is the Detective? Jessica Jones
Who is the Crime Boss? Kingpin
Who is the Reporter? Lois Lane
Did the Reporter escape/get recruited/die? Got Recruited... but then got KOed...
What organization was the Crime Boss running? The Maggia

The Exiles...






...meet the Detective (along with her sidekick and woman-in-the-chair)...





...backed by a Sympathetic Cop/Love Interest and his dedicated multi-city task force!









--------------------------------------------------------

Their target, along with his deadly partner and crooked consigliere!





Black Mask's lieutenant and his goons...




(Thug x5)

...along with his newly hired hit squad: The Marauders!






---------------------------------------------

Unbeknownst to the do-gooders, an intrepid investigative reporter has followed them to Black Mask's dock operation to get the scoop of the century!



---------------------------------------------

The story: TBA

---------------------------------------------

Post your results:
Who is the Detective? Huntress
Who is the Crime Boss? Black Mask
Who is the Reporter? April O'Neil
Did the Reporter escape/get recruited/die?
What organization was the Crime Boss running? His portion of this Earth's Cabal!

I've updated the post with the results! I am also Groot.

For anyone interested here's a game component if you want to add for your play through.

The crime lord is making a getaway too a boarding harbor ship. If he leaves the game is over

HARBOR ESCAPE!: at the beginning of the game Players will decide how many turns they want to add to the countdown to depart event. At the beginning of every round remove a number, once the number reaches zero the crime lord will have to race back to the beginning of his starting zone than the game ends and the crime lord wins automatically.

Hey, everyone. Just a quick head's up that because I'm at a wedding tomorrow, I won't be tallying the results until Sunday morning, so if you want to contribute a write-up or results to this week's chapter you have some extra time. As long as the results are posted by Sunday mid-day you'll be included!

"These guys again?!" Jen says from on top of a rain filled rooftop watching the hired goons load a truck under the eyes of the Enforcers

"You fought them before?" A familiar but more feminine voice says back to her.

Jen turns and sees the once young and childlike Loki is a statuesque woman.

"Now. . . I've drank myself into stoopers and selected vision before. . . but I never had someone look as good as you after only 1 drink" Stark says closing his flask.

"Whats going on with this now?"Jen asks Loki.

"He says he usually doesn't take help from dames, figured I could do some good helping him both in battle and his manners" Loki says putting on some lipstick.

"But How?!" Jen asks still confused.

"Easy. . . I'm a god. . . well goddess currently. I've been a man, woman, horse. . . actually a mother to 1 actually. . .sweet boy. . .loves his grandpa. . .not to mention. . ."

"I get it I get it" Jen interrupts. "I'm friends with Hercules. . .i know you guys get creative with mortals."

The faceless man ignores everything around him and just says "There! There's Mr Negative and his wife. He runs half this town."

He then jumps from the roof, slides down a fire escape and confronts them. Giving away the element of surprise.

"I am Grooooooooooooooot" groot yells hanging on to Jen's hair as she jumps down holding stark as Loki majestically glides down behind them.

50 AI024 She-Hulk
80 TMT066 Loki
30 SWB020 Tony Stark, Inventor
30 GOTG2M002 Groot
100 WKD-008 Question


Vs

50 EAX043 Ox
50 EAX042 Montana
30 EAX021 Fancy Dan
65 EAX040 Mr. Negative
90 WKM17-016 Black Cat
10 EAXS004 Octopus Arms

On dockyard map

"Get em Boys" Black Cat says as Mr Negative sends out a couple lackies followed by the enforcers.

"You think you're so tough Negative? Hiding behind your goons and gal?" The question says making a line straight to all of them.

Jen thinking he's nuts and having dealt with Pinkerton versions of the trio before lands infront of him. Stark starts to jog to catch up.

Loki steps forward next to Jen smiling. . . "well this just got very noir risque."

The Question runs at Montana but gets tripped up by the lasso.

The enforcers make a mad run on the question but only the ox can land a blow and even so he still gave as good as he got.

Recalling their style on the west world Jen and groot approach Dan to help seale weaken the chain of command.

The cat and negative approach the battle.

Jen tags Dan, it's almost deja by.

After that the team was able to handle the enforcers and the called in lackies for help.

The Question eventually gets to Negative but just can't land a hit and it's just trying to brawl.

"Noir is supposed to be about brains. Thinking, investigating, stake outs. . ."Loki says to herself.

Stark must've heard because with a little support from him he secures it's a close combat battle...

With the enforcers dealt with and the team nearly regrouped Question finally drops Mr Negative.

"Get him boss" he says with a beaten gurgle as
Negative man smiles as Black Cat removes her trench coat revealing a set of octopus arms.

The team is getting the business of the deal at first with Jen and Groot both knocked silly.

"I won't be bested by a glowing guys best gal!" Question says all flailing at her unable to hit.

"Thus is me! This is mine! This whole city will soon be mine!" She tells him as half the arms beat him silly.

Loki sees her opening and decides 1 stone for 2 birds blasting both The cat sending her flying off the dock with a bolt that also strikes the question.

When it's done the police arrive to find the enforcers and Mr Negative tied up.

From the rooftop the gang gathers.
"A deal is a deal. . ." the still disoriented question says, You gals helped me, I'll help you and the dandy with your mission."

With that a gas releases from the wrist rejoicing the faceless masks.

And that's when the Question realizes he's now a woman.

Who won?
Exiles

Who was kod.? Groot and she hulk.

Who did you recruit and Why?
Haven't played the Trinity Question in a while.
Mix that with playing off the dames remark earlier and Loki I end it with it getting switched to the Renee Montoya version especially because her versions are cheaper and more common unless you have the old origins rev, also I didn't really play/recruit a dc character yet.

Sadly, I'm not gonna be able to play this one in time. Here are my character choices, though.
Detective: Rorschach (as played by the Question)
Crime Boss: Joe Fixit
Reporter: April O'Neil

New mission is up! Also this week's is designed to give a little more time for anyone who didn't get to play chapter 3 yet.

The Exiles
She-Hulk
Young Loki
Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl
Doc Stark, Inventor
+ Ironman suit
Baby Groot
Adeline Kane

The Foot Klan
Shredder
Mr Freeze
Sergeant Granitor
Foot Soldier x4

The Exiles quickly rescued Billy but was killed on the ensuing escape. With Billy gone the Exiles were able to defeat the Foot!

Who is the Detective? Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl
Who is the Crime Boss? Shredder
Who is the Reporter? Billy Batson
Did the Reporter escape/get recruited/die? Was making a quick escape before Shredder kills him...
What organization was the Crime Boss running? The Foot Klan