How would you do an “Avenger” playbook?

How would you do an “Avenger” playbook?

How would you do an “Avenger” playbook? A playbook about the ones who train themselves to exact revenge on a particular foe?

I think in western super-hero comics that topic is mainly found in grown-up heroes, but it is quite common in Anime (Sasuke, Kurapica), maybe also Blake from RWBY.

19 thoughts on “How would you do an “Avenger” playbook?”

  1. There’s two basic questions for a character bound to revenge: “how far will you go to get it?” and “what happens when you get it?” For those reasons, you could start looking at the Doomed, reading the Doom Track as a “path of justice”, adding “getting closer to my quarry” as a triggering event for advancing the track.

  2. Thinking about it, Arsenal from Young Justice is quite similar in outlook. Maybe call the playbook The Hurt.

    Starting question: What did they take from you?

  5. that concept applies to Robin, so there are plenty of ways to have that concept work. Also Batman was young when he started to train… he just didn’t get active pursuing it until he was older/trained.

  6. first question: which kind of teenhood archetype are you basing the Avenger, can you point real life example of teens who are avengers? Because every mask from the game cover a kind of adolescent.

    second question: how an avenger fits in a group, which questions is s/he going to answer about the group creation

    third question: what happens when the avenger score its target?

  7. Chris S Robin is not quite, what I’m looking for. Robin is not defined by THEM. Robins most important relationship is the one his mentor. Hence Protege.

    In the same way, Benjamin Davis idea of the Doomed falls short. The Doom has it coming. As for the Hurt, the most common version is THEM not even realising that the character exists. The Bull is also not about THEM. Their defining relationship, is about their Love and Rival.

    What I’m looking for is making a playbook for this kind of character. Therefore this is not a background thing. It’s their script.

    And so to answer the question of Rafael Sant Anna Meyer, the archetype is a victim. Someone who is still in that moment. Who cannot let go.

  8. If you’re designing a new playbook, you could try having something similar to the Doom track, to track the Hurt getting closer to a final confrontation with THEM.

    Other than that, my advice is the same as it always is when making new playbooks: look at that character type in other stories, take note of what they do, and find ways to make that into moves and stuff.

    I think the archetype of a victim is what sets this apart from another playbook who just happens to be motivated by revenge, so if you can, it might be good to look at the experiences of real-life teens who survived abuse, rape, or other awfulness.

  9. Pompeius Pomponius

    The Protege is definitely one way you could play robin; was not arguing that the Avenger as you call it was THE way or the only way to play him…

    I agree… Teen Titans Robin is most assuredly the Protege… but early Robin, like when Batman first takes him in isn’t, they are united in their pain and Batman looks to give him an outlet as a way to protect him.

    My point was that sometimes younger characters go on revenge quests… westerns are filled with them.

  10. Tara as she first comes into the Titans could also be an Avenger, as she is driven to insanity with taking the Titans down with the help of Deathstroke.

  12. Pompeius Pomponius this archetypes falls short. There are several reactions for victims of something. Not everybody will take the the path to get a gun, as you are saying, and will start kill people around the heroes. It is more likely a an enemy among the heroes than a hero. Something like a dark reflex, a warning to the heroes.

Comments are closed.