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ROLE
CALL
Whether it's in digital
or tabletop format, role-playing games (RPGs) — in which players
assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting — remain
popular.
And in almost every type of these interactive
combat scenarios, comic book characters — including members
of the Legion of Super-Heroes — continue to be featured prominently.
DC HEROES
IN the
mid-80s, Mayfair Games released its critically well-received DC
Heroes tabletop game line, which, because it encompassed the whole
DC universe, and therefore the Legion, ensnared the non-gaming fans
who just had to have the Legion-related items for their collection.
And there was much to keep them occupied: the three editions of
the game came with an abundance of manuals, game books, figurines
and sourcebooks.
Because the Legion consisted of so many
characters, and its history and settings were so rich and diverse,
Mayfair produced two comprehensive reference manuals on the world
of the Legion.
Volume
1, co-written by Paul Levitz, focused on all past and present Legionnaires
up till then, with comprehensive explanations of powers and statistics
for use with the RPG, as well as "intimate details on the Legionnaires'
lives you can't find anywhere else".
Volume 2 featured "the world of tomorrow",
and included information on the Earth of the future, its government,
the Science Police, technology of the time, the Legion Academy,
plus the various worlds of the United Planets. It also included
a large and detailed schematic of Legion headquarters. Original
covers were drawn by Ed Hannigan, Jose Delbo and Larry Mahlstedt.
The DC Universe game came out on the heels
of the Crisis
on Infinite Earths, which shook the foundations of DC
continuity. The ramifications were so widespread and confusing that,
four years later in 1989, Mayfair released a second edition which
included The Background/Roster Book, in an attempt to clarify
and explain the consolidated universe.
In the introductory piece, Robert Greenberger
writes: "While we have dumped the parallel worlds, we have
expanded the one Earth to encompass more peoples … only last
year, Earth made its first extraterrestrial alliance with Daxam,
home of Mon-El. We are still meeting new alien races as our knowledge
of the universe increases. There is now even a forerunner of the
Legion in existence."
In
typical vague dialogue, Greenberger goes on to say "the publishing
business affords us the opportunity to revise and remold material
as the demands of the creators and marketplace change" …
words that we can't help but resonate with today, as DC re-establishes
the concept of multiverses.
The book includes submissions and essays
on various characters by their creators, such as Jack Kirby (New
Gods), Roy Thomas (Golden Age heroes), Robert Kanigher (Sgt Rock)
and Mike Gold (the legendary heroes). Roger Stern writes on Metropolis,
Dan Jurgens has a dissertation on DC's wealthiest characters, Paul
Kupperberg discusses the Intelligence Community, and Neil Gaiman
flirts with magic. A chapter on alien races includes specifications
for many first introduced in Legion stories, including Daxamites,
Dominators, Durlans, Gil'Dishpan, and the Khunds.
 Mayfair
delved even deeper into the worlds of the DC universe in the following
year (1990), with the release of the Atlas of the DC Universe,
a "complete guide to the people, organizations and places that
make up the exciting world of DC Comics". This included backgrounds
on countries of the Earth, planets of the galaxy, and assorted full-color
gatefold maps, with one of the USA showing the locations of notable
locations such as Metropolis, Smallville, Gotham, Star City, Coast
City, Keystone City, and Littleville (quick! Which DC character
lives here?). Sections devoted to life beyond Earth look at Legion-related
places as diverse as Colu, Dryad, Khundia, Korbal, Takron-Galtos,
Ventura, Brande's Asteroid, Avalon, Kathoon, Lallor, Lythyl, Medicus
One, Nullport, Shanghalla, Somahtur, Tyrrazz, Weber's World and
Zerox.
In 1995, the Legion's title moved five
years forward. A cataclysmic event known as Black Dawn ravaged
the universe and the ranks of the Legion, with the organization
forced to disband and then regroup in triumph. The 5YL stories have
been either loved or hated by Legion fans, relying on a non-linear
story-telling device that requires fans to, as writer Tom Bierbaum
once put it, "work a little harder" to fully grasp.
Mayfair released a Legion sourcebook, scripted
by Tom and Mary, to help fans fill in the gaps and delineate incidents
not explained fully in the comic book. Of particular help is a detailed
timeline which explains the major events of the five-year gap. For
the first time, members who joined the Legion during Black Dawn
were named in full; these included Atmos, Calamity King, Echo and
Reflecto. The specifications for each Legionnaire also include their
birthdates, which match up with those provided in the 1976 DC Calendar.
Members who weren't around that year were given new birthdates (see
them all here). The sourcebook is essential reading for
those keen to enjoy the 5YL run to its fullest.
The cover features the Legion battling
Lobo. The crazy Czarnian was a hot commodity back then, and was
ostensibly featured in a blatant attempt to lift sales of the book.
Mayfair didn't just stop at books, though.
It combined with Grenadier Models, a leading maker of miniature
lead figures for RPGs, to produce sets of characters for DC Heroes.
These included Justice League, New Teen Titans, Batman and the Legion
of Super-Heroes, for which the characters were Blok, Dawnstar, Wildfire,
Sensor Girl, Element (sic), Modru (sic), Persuader, Tyr, Lightning
Lord and Emerald Empress.
MODULE
207: All That Glitters
MODULE
213: Volume 1 of the Legion Sourcebook
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216: volume 2 of the Legion Sourcebook, also named The World Book
MODULE
223: Pawns of Time
MODULE
224: Knight to Planet 3
MODULE
225: Mad Rook's Gambit
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226: King for All Time
MODULE
232: The Hardware Book (part of the 2nd Edition box set)
MODULE
233: Superman sourcebook
MODULE
260: Who's Who in the DC Universe Vol 1
MODULE
261: Who's Who in the DC Universe Vol 2
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263: Legion of Super-Heroes 2995 Sourcebook
MODULE
264: Who's Who in the DC Universe Vol 3
ATLAS
OF THE DC UNIVERSE
THE
BACKGROUND ROSTER BOOK
DC
HEROES NEWSLETTER 2
DC
HEROES NEWSLETTER (WINTER 1991)
DC
HEROES POSTER
LEGION
OF SUPER-HEROES SOURCEBOOK POSTER
DC
HEROES GRENADIER LEGION AND ADVERSARIES METAL FIGURE SET
DC ADVENTURES
This RPG was published
by Green Ronin Publishing in 2010, set in the DC Comics superhero
universe, and includes Legion characters.
It uses the same game system as the company's
Mutants & Masterminds, which involves the use of 20-sided dice.
Green Ronin took up the DC licence after
Mayfair's agreement expired, and created a third edition of its
Mutants & Masterminds rules specifically for DC Adventures.
It produced DC Adventures: Hero's Handbook
in 2010, a 280-page hard cover book with interior artwork by DC
artists, and cover art by Alex Ross. This was followed by three
other volumes, all of which included data on various Legion-related
characters.
Green Ronin ran into a major problem when,
shortly after the release of DC Adventures, DC Comics suddenly rebooted
its entire comic book universe with The New 52, instantly making
the material in the game obsolete.
HERO'S
HANDBOOK
HEROES
& VILLAINS, VOL 1
HEROES
& VILLAINS, VOL 2
DC
ADVENTURES UNIVERSE
SMALLVILLE
The Smallville RPG
was a superhero-themed role-playing game published in 2010 by Margaret
Weis Productions, and is set in the universe of the television series
Smallville.
It was the first of the new RPGs from the
company to utilise the new so-called Cortex Plus system.
The 'Corebook' released in conjunction
with the game is a handsome volume which features details of the
Legionnaires who appeared in the series.
SMALLVILLE
COREBOOK
HEROCLIX
A tabletop
game with a difference to feature Legion characters is HeroClix,
in which players use miniature figures to construct teams of comic
book heroes, villains, or characters and engage in a turn-by-turn
battle on grid maps based on various storyline locations.
The figures have become collectible in
their own right, and many fans collect HeroClix simply for these
well-crafted miniatures, and not to play the game. There have been
more than 100 Legion-related figures already released. Click the
link below to see each one.
HEROCLIX
VS SYSTEM
The VS System (short
for Versus System), was a collectible card game designed by Upper
Deck Entertainment.
In the game, players build and play a deck
of cards in an attempt to win a game against their opponent. It
was first published in 2004 and is set in the superhero genre. The
game was discontinued by Upper Deck Entertainment in January 2009.
Over the course of its life, there were
more than 500 different Legion-related cards produced, including
parallel foils, extended art versions and limited release give-aways.
Like Heroclix, many non-playing Legion fans focused solely
on acquiring all the cards.
VS
SYSTEM
CRYPTOZOIC ENTERTAINMENT: DC COMICS DECK-BUILDING GAME
In the DC deck-building game —
first released in 2012 — players take on the role of Batman,
Superman, or one of the other major DC characters in the struggle
against the forces of super-villainy.
Beginning with only basic combat maneuvers,
players add new, more powerful cards to the deck as they progress,
with the goal of defeating as many of the villains as possible,
one whom is Darkseid, represented by a card bearing the cover of
ADVENTURE
COMICS 515. No other Legion-related character
is featured in this set, but future expansions and packs will feature
Legionnaires, equipment and adversaries.
CRYPTOZOIC
DECK-BUILDING GAME
SCRIBBLENAUTS UNMASKED
Several varieties
of RPG also exist in electronic media, of course, as well as single-player
role-playing video games.
The action video game Scribblenauts,
developed by 5th Cell for the Nintendo DS, includes a DC Comics
component called Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure,
featuring more than 2000 characters from the DC universe. On its
release in 2013, the manufacturer claimed the database was so extensive
that fans would find it hard to find heroes that were not included.
Alas, there were several Legionnaires missing, including iconic
members such as Sun Boy, Dawnstar and Blok. On the plus side, it
included Arm-Fall-Off Boy.
The game also spawned a nine-part DC series
titled SCRIBBLENAUTS
UNMASKED: A CRISIS OF IMAGINATION, in which, strangely,
Dawnstar was among the Legionnaires featured.
SCRIBBLENAUTS
UNMASKED: Crisis of Imagination
INJUSTICE 2
Injustice 2
is a fighting video game based on the DC Universe, published by
Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment. It is the sequel to Injutsice:
Gods Among Us, in which Superman is a tyrant.
The storyline centers around Batman's attempt
to restore society after the fall of Superman's regime; however,
the arrivals of the newly formed supervillain group "The Society"
and the alien Brainiac forces Batman to consider freeing the imprisoned
Superman to help overturn the threats.
The game contains an Arcade Ladder (also
called Arcade Mode), in which a single player battles a ladder of
combatants in a bid to reach the final level.
Once that status is attained, it is revealed
that the evil Brainiac is defeated by a doppelgänger who turns
out to be Brainiac 5 in disguise. The Coluan has travelled back
in time to beat the villain and restore the good name of his race.
Upon his return to the 31st century, he
expects to be chastised by Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Cosmic
Boy for stealing a time bubble, but feels that all will be forgiven.
He signs off with the rallying cry of "Long Live the Legion!”
INJUSTICE
2
DC UNIVERSE ONLINE:
LONG LIVE THE LEGION
DC Universe Online
(DCUO) is the free-to-play action combat massive multiplayer
online game (MMOG) set in the fictional universe of DC Comics, developed
by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company
and WB Games. It also spawned a comic book series.
Typically, MMOGs involve large numbers
of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server. These
games can be found for most network-capable platforms, including
the personal computer, video game console, or smartphones and other
mobile devices.
The player creates a new, original character
that interacts with the iconic heroes and villains of DC Comics,
who is then thrown into the world of DC Universe Online, progressing
on to missions to increase their level and skill in various content.
The game releases various scenarios on
a regular basis for gameplay, named episodes. The dedicated Legion
of Super-Heroes episode involves a battle (alongside theTeen Titans
and Static) with Emerald Empress, Validus and Mordru, who also previously
appeared in an episode featuring Justice League Dark. Legionnaires
featured include Quislet, Computo, Monster Boy and Harmonia, among
many established members.
See below for more information.
DCUO:
Long Live the Legion
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