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Man of the Year

A Mini-Event for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying based on Amazing Spider-man Annual #20
V1.2

No challenge of ownership is intended or implied.

By H. M. Dain Lybarger

Introduction
I am Uatu, the Watcher. There are moments in time, turning points, when the lives of mortals may follow diverging paths to glory, or to despair. On occasion, those moments intersect. Watch with me now as two men, strangers to one another, meet in conflict a conflict which, though they know it not, will alter the course of their lives forever. This Mini-Event, inspired by Amazing Spider-Man Annual #20, pits Arno Stark, the Iron Man of the year 2020 against Peter Parker, the Spider-man of the year 1986. This is intended as a versus adventure one in which the two player-characters will find themselves acting at cross-purposes, and most likely battling one another as fiercely as they battle the villains. Hero-on-hero combat is a staple of comic book storytelling, but few instances are for stakes as high as these. A note for those who have read Amazing Spider-Man Annual #20: I have taken a few liberties with the original storyline, making the consequences of failure for Peter Parker more severe than those implied in the comic. It only seems fair; the consequences of failure for Arno Stark are devastating.

Datafiles
SPIDER-MAN Peter Parker
Refer to the MHR Basic Game Rules, page BR88 for Spider-mans datafile. Replace Team Player with the following Event Milestone: Money Troubles (Event Milestone)
1 XP - When you are unable to pay a debt when it is due, or forgo an otherwise attractive activity because you cant afford to participate. 3 XP - When you sneak away from or avoid contact with someone to whom you owe money. 10XP - When you accept an unpleasant job offer, or when you compromise your ethics for financial gain.

IRON MAN 2020 Arno Stark Solo d10 Buddy d6 Team d8

Time Traveler Bad Timing Too Busy For Family

Powered Armor (Iron Man 2020)

Cybernetic Senses d6 Enhanced Reflexes d8 Superhuman Strength d10 Superhuman Durability d10

SFX: Boost. Shutdown highest-rated Powered Armor or Weapons Suite power to step up another Powered Armor power by +1. Recover by activating an Opportunity or during a Transition Scene. SFX: Onboard A.I. 'SX-9'. If a pool includes a Powered Armor or Weapons Suite die, you may replace two dice of equal size with one die +1 step larger. Limit: Overdraw. Shutdown highest-rated power to gain 1 PP. Recover by activating an Opportunity or during a Transition Scene.

Weapons Suite
Tractor Beam d6 Repulsor Beam d10 Force Field d8 Supersonic Flight d10 Rocket-Skates d6

Biographical Notes
Arno Stark, the son of Tony Starks reprobate cousin Morgan, purchased Stark Industries from the estate of the late Tony Stark. He was first seen in the Marvel Universe as a mercenary villain the Iron Man of 2020. Part of this Mini-Event takes place in the year 2015, and serves as Iron Man 2020s origin story.

SFX: Area Attack. Target multiple opponents. For every additional target, add d6 to your pool and keep +1 Effect die. SFX: Full Power! When making a Physical attack including Repulsor Beams, set aside a die equal in size to the largest die in your pool as your Effect die. After the roll, place your highest-rolling die in the Doom pool. Limit: Mil-Spec Weaponry. When attacking with any Powered Armor or Weapons Suite power, you may not pull punches or avoid causing Trauma. Limit: Untested Systems. Shutdown any Weapons Suite power to absorb the Physical Stress of an attack of equal or lesser die size. Roll vs the Doom pool to recover power.

Business Expert d8 Crime Expert d8 Tech Master d10 Science Expert d8

Milestones:

Displaced in Time (Event Milestone)

1 XP - When you meet a hero or villain in the past, and are mistaken for 'their' Iron Man. 3 XP - When you put the survival of your family above the life of an innocent, or when you decline to risk innocent lives to save your family. 10XP - When you succeed in disarming the 'Planet-Buster Bomb, or when you fail.

Vengeful
1 XP - When you, a teammate, or loved one is harmed or threatened by someone. 3 XP - When you cause Stress to someone who has harmed or threatened you. 10XP - When you Stress Out, capture, or kill someone who has harmed or threatened you, or when you forgive such a person.

A Brief Note About Time

It is worth mentioning that we are now, in 2012, closer to Arnos time than Peters... Apart from cognitive dissonance (and a sense of ones own age), if the date-span proves to be problematic for any of the players, it is easy for a Watcher to adjust. The simplest solution, of course, is to avoid giving specific dates altogether! Most Marvel titles use a rolling continuity, so adjustments of this sort are done all the time.

Hook 2015
Arno Stark, in his militarized version of the Iron Man armor, is being interviewed by photojournalists as the inventor of the worlds first workable time-displacement device, hes a front-runner for Time magazines Man of the Year award for the year 2015. Video is recorded, soft-ball questions are asked and answered and the interview is interrupted by an angry video-call from Cynthia Stark, Arnos wife. Arno has once again forgotten that he promised to spend the weekend with his family But that call is interrupted by another from his personal assistant Dr. Hawkins, reminding him of his scheduled meetings: a fly-over with highranking military brass, a joint-venture discussion with a Japanese conglomerate, and the start-up test on the time-displacement device. Then, after lunch Distractedly resolving to send Cynthia roses as an apology, Arno Stark fires his boot-jets and heads off to his first meeting, with the General. Left staring at a blank phone screen, Cynthia argues briefly (and fruitlessly) with Hawk, then decides to take matters into her own hands. She calls for the chauffeur, and bundles her son Arno Jr. into his jacket. Were going down to your fathers lab hes not standing us up again! As Arno prepares to board his plane for the over-flight with the General, Hawk interrupts with a security issue. Arno! This just came in over the news link. Weve got a terrorist threat on our hands! He will explain that Robert Saunders, the leader of a radical anti-war faction has somehow gained information that Stark Enterprises is manufacturing a top-secret bomb. Hes sent out a manifesto saying that hell destroy it, and Stark International, unless Stark makes a full public disclosure. Needless to say, the General would regard any such action as a breach of contract

Hook 1986
Peter Parker your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, is on the prowl in New York City. Well, technically hes swinging through mid-town Manhattan trying to come up with a way to pay this months rent: $275.36, payable to his landlady Mrs. Muggins at the close of business today. The problem is, hes short just about $275 of that Whats a guy in a costume supposed to do for cash? Rob a bank? Just then, an alarm shrills out from one of the buildings below! Guess Im not the only guy in a costume whos a little short this month! But this gives me an idea Spider-man swings down, affixes his automatic camera to a rooftop cornice with webbing, and sets the timer

Robert Saunders
Solo d8 Buddy d4 Team d6

Hates Iron Man & Stark Industries Anti-War Activist

Cyber-Prosthesis Cybernetic Senses d6

Buildup Action Scene 2015

Aboard a Stark X-jet, Arno Stark and the General are overflying the test site where the previous version of the Planet-Buster Bomb detonated. The 92% kill-through rating appalls Stark but he General wants to see improvements. 13% wortha Ruskie can fire a real nasty counter-strike. Tell you what, boy you work the bugs outa this thing get those kill stats up and maybe well keep fundin your time machine. And maybe youll actually make Man of the Year. Maybe. Any retort Arno might consider making is interrupted by Dr. Hawkins. Remember that terrorist I warned you about earlier? Weve got a fullscale lockout running no games! Somehow that Saunders nut has locked us out of Lab B and hes armed the Planet-Buster! Arnos first inclination might be to tell Hawk to let Stark Security handle it. Thats what theyre being paid for, after all But Dr. Hawkins continues; Cynthia came down to Lab B to give you a piece of her mind Hes got your wife, Arno.

SFX: Infrared Vision. Spend a d6 from the Doom pool to ignore Complications relating to darkness. FX: Bionic Ear. Spend a d6 from the Doom pool to hear sounds too faint for ordinary hearing. Limit. Interference. Shutdown Cyber-Prosthesis and add a d6 to the Doom pool when effected by EMP. Spend d6 from the Doom pool to recover power.

Tech Master Crime Expert Saunders has also acquired a Plasma Pistol d8 and a hover -bike that provides Flight d8 from a hapless member of Stark Internationals Security staff.

Armored up and inbound, Arno Stark will see that the Retractable Armored Dome over the Lab B building is rapidly closing. Hawk has created a Communications Blackout to prevent the terrorist from contacting outside help but he informs Arno through his private circuit to the armor that Saunders has him Locked Out of the Security System. When the dome closes, Cynthia, Arno Jr., and several Stark technicians will be trapped inside with the PlanetBuster Bomb! Approaching the dome, Arno will spot Saunders making his getaway aboard a stolen Stark Security air-scooter. Without interference, Saunders will have just enough time to fly through the narrowing gap in the dome before it seals itself. The truth is, Robert Saunders has no intention of actually detonating the bomb he just wants the war-mongers to sweat a little. His plan is to get to his safehouse in the hills, and remotely disarm the weapon. But first, the sweat: Its easy for men like Stark to build weapons that theyll never have to face. If men like that label me terrorist, well, then its time for them to feel a little of the terror they cause! Starks wife and child showing up was just the icing on the cake! Let him fear losing something besides the company he bought. Let his fear be as personal as mine! Unfortunately, Arno Stark has no way of knowing Robert Saunders true plan; he can only act on the information from Saunders threatening manifesto. Saunders, for his part, will die trying to escape rather than risk capture by Iron Man in fact, for reasons revealed later, he is terrified of any close encounter with his armored foe.

Buildup Action Scene 1986

At the scene of the bank robbery, Spider-man swings into action, making sure to keep in view of his Automatic Camera! He spots three thugs running out of the bank toward a Bright Green Van and theyre all holding Bags Full of Cash! Bringing up the rear after disabling the bank guards is a costumed criminal Spider-man has never seen before, in a dark blue costume with what look like icicles around his cuffs and mask! Look out! Its Spider-man! Kill him! The three thugs open fire with pistols, and the costumed figure slides toward the van on a ramp of instantly-forming ice! Youll laugh out of the other side of your head, clown when you tangle with the Blizzard! Once the fight gets going, spend a d6 from the Doom pool to add the Scene Distinction Huge Chunks of Ice, which hang from the nearby buildings and litter the streets, remnants of Blizzards movement and attacks.
Blizzard's Hired Thugs (x3) Solo d4 Buddy d6 Team d8 In It For The Money Not Here To Fight Superheroes! Guns d6 Grab d6

Blizzard Gregor Shapanka

Solo d10 Buddy d6 Team d8

Cryogenics Genius Holds a Grudge Obsessed with Immortality

Blizzard Suit Freeze Ray d10 Cold Control d8 Ice-slide d6 SFX: Ice Projectiles. Add a d6 to your die pool for an attack action and step back highest die in pool by -1. Step up Physical Stress inflicted by +1. SFX: Snow Storm. Target multiple opponents. For every additional target add a d6 and keep +1 Effect die. SFX: Afflict. Add a d6 and step up your Effect die by +1 when inflicting when ice or coldbased Complications. Limit: Meltdown. Shutdown all Blizzard Suit powers vs a heat-based attack, and add 1d6 to the Doom pool. Recover power by activating a player-rolled Opportunity or during a Transition Scene.

Alternatives: Blizzard has temporarily teamed up with Electro, Grey Gargoyle, and the Living Laser (among others) in the past. For a greater challenge, replace one or more of the hired thugs with any of the above supervillains from the Basic Rulebook.

The previous two scenes are independent, and take place in different years but thats no reason to leave one player hanging while you act as Watcher for the other! When youve gone through the Buildup for both characters, frame the then and now Action scenes for each, and just start playing. The MHR Action Order will seamlessly handle dramatic cuts from one scene to the other. In addition to keeping both players active and engaged, this will make the scenes feel more like reading a comic book!

Crime Expert Science Mastery Tech Expert

Transition Scene 2015

At Stark International, with the dome closed and Saunders likely splashed all over the inside of it, things look bad. Robert Saunders set the bomb timer, and locked down the security systems with the retina scan of his right (and only) eye. Without that pattern, the bomb cant be disarmed. There are fifty minutes left. Hawk will initiate a background computer checks on Saunders, but he will come up practically empty the man has been living as a recluse, off the grid. His FBI file has no retina or fingerprint scans. Other than a few brief appearances over the years at radical anti-war and nuclear disarmament protests, the only time Robert Saunders was noticed by the media was thirty-five years ago. Hawk digs up an article from the New York Daily Bugle under the headline The Spider-Man Menace. The subtitle, with typical Bugle hyperbole is Twelve year-old Honor Student injured in super-hero slug-fest!

Here is an opportunity for Arno to spend a PP to gain a Tech Resource: a portable Retinal Scanner d8. By itself, its not much use But Arno Stark owns a time machine! Hawk will brief Arno on the parameters. The machine will sling you back into the past but it maintains a connection with your armor. At any time, you can send the recall signal and snap back to the present. The bomb will go off in less than an hour and time passes at the same rate for you back then as it does for us now, so if you dont make it back with the retina scan in time, there wont be anything left to come back to!

Transition Scene 1986

Peter Parker, back in civilian guise, is headed for payday! Kathryn Cushing, the City Editor at the Daily Bugle will pay handsomely for whats in his camera: action snapshots of Spider-man doing battle with one of the deadliest well one of the most obscure, little-known, two-bit baddies... OK, this might be a tougher sell than usual. Worse luck, Ms. Cushing is out of her office at a dentists appointment, and J. Jonah Jameson is in a meeting with stockholders. This leaves Pete cooling his heels in the press room with young Bobby Saunders, the son of one of those

stockholders. Bobby is polite, respectful, very bright and a merciless critic of Peters photography. Bobby is apparently quite the photography buff, going into great detail about Peters grainy finish and poor composition. Its a wonderful time in the waiting room Jameson isnt interested in more Spider-man photos, anyway. He has much bigger fish to fry; he needs someone to cover the peace talks in Geneva for NOW magazine. I need a topflight, world class photog on the scene right away and since I couldnt grab any of them, Im offering the job to you. Jameson will wave his cigar around as he pontificates. And dont give me any of that Im tired of being shot at guff! I realize that the assignments I usually give you for NOW tend to place you in dangerous situations, but this one is a cakewalk. The most that can happen is a terrorist attack or two. You leave tomorrow! Peters money problems are over, at least for a while! NOW magazine pays well and they should; it always turns out to be hazard pay. When he tells the news to Mary Jane, however, she is less than enthusiastic, and not just because of the danger: She reminds him that tomorrow is also Aunt Mays birthday; the one day out of the year that Peter always spends with her. Aunt May will be disappointed, but she will probably understand if Peter tells her I have to work... Mary Jane is less forgiving. Youre going to stand up your aunt, the woman who raised you, cared for you and youre going out of the country? Without knowing when youll be back, without even discussing it with me? It wont matter what Peter says at this point, Mary Jane is no longer speaking to him While this Transition scene is primarily about roleplaying, and setting up the following Action scene, it also allows Peter a chance to recover any stress he received fighting Blizzard, and affords him the chance to spend a PP on a Resource if desired.

Its a bit harder to cut back and forth between separate Transition Scenes, but you might cut away from Arno Starks scene jut as Hawk initiates the computer search, and play out Peters arrival at the Bugle. Cut away again just after Peter gets his new assignment from Jameson, to Arno being briefed on the background check. After Arnos scene ends, cut to Peter breaking the news of his travel plans to an angry Mary Jane.

Stage-managing a Tragedy
At the start of this scene, it is still possible for both characters to get what they want Arno Stark can depart for his own time with a scan of young Bobbys retina, and Spider-man can rescue Bobby from both Blizzard and Iron Man. It all hinges on the Retinal Scanner In the original comic, Spiderman saw the scanner being shoved into Bobbys face in a threatening way, and knocked it out of Arnos hand, destroying it. As Watcher, in order to turn this story into a real tragedy, you must make sure that the scanner becomes unusable.

Action Scene Crunch Time -- 1986

At his apartment, Peter Parker packs a bag for Geneva. Preparing to step out his front door, he spots Mrs. Muggins, his landlady, sweeping the hallway. Its obvious that the broom is just a ruse shes lying in wait for Peter to appear, to hound him about the rent! Sometimes, its a handy thing, having a costumed identity Spider-man can easily sneak past Mrs. Muggins, and make it to the airport in time for the flight to Geneva. However, as soon as he leaves his apartment, he is spotted by Bobby Saunders! Hey, youre Spider-man! I bet youre here to see Peter Parker! Im here to see him too. Hes going to teach me how to be a photographer! From here on out, treat young Bobby Saunders as a mobile Scene Distinction. Hes worth a d8 on occasions when his precocious knowledge might come in handy, but mostly hes worth a d4 (and a Plot Point) for being the McGuffin of the story. Refer to the sidebar Stage-managing a Tragedy for more ideas on how to endanger Bobby. Bobby wont be dissuaded, even by the (technically true) story that Peter Parker isnt home right now, and wont be back for quite a while. Peter cant, in good conscience, just leave him standing here, waiting but Bobby also refuses to tell Spider-man where he lives, or where he goes to school. Theres really only one safe place to drop off the little pest, and its not the airport Arriving at the Daily Bugle with young Bobby Saunders in tow, Spider-man has no idea that hes walking into an ambush set by the Blizzard!

Fragile Retinal Scanner

Pay a d8 from the Doom pool to have the Retinal Scanner damaged beyond use during the fight. Once this happens, Arnos only hope to defuse the bomb is to grab young Bobby Saunders and take him back to the future! If possible, the destruction of the Retinal Scanner should be something that Arno Stark can blame on Spider-mans actions, providing a reason for the two to fight. Bobbys struggle with Iron Man might also dislodge the scanner, sealing his fate.

Blizzard made bail, even though his suit was confiscated by the police. Fortunately for him, he had been working on an experimental new Blizzard costume; all-white this time, with ice-blue boots and belt, and equipped with upgraded cold-ray emitters around the wrists, more powerful than any he has used previously! This suit has an additional SFX in its Power Set: Cold Front. Step up or double any Blizzard Suit power for one action. Afterward, put the highest-rolling die into the Doom pool. Blizzard wants revenge against Spider-man for foiling yesterdays robbery. He and his thugs are waiting in their van near the Daily Bugle offices. Word on the street is that Spider-man swings past the Bugle every day or so; all they have to do is wait

As soon as Spider-man comes down to ground level to drop young Bobby off, Blizzard will take his best shot! Apart from the Bugle offices, the buildings nearby are all Steel and Glass, and a Crowd of Gawkers will quickly gather once the fighting starts. Blizzard knows that Spiderman can outdistance him in a chase, so hell give Spidey a reason to stick around and take a pounding hell kidnap Bobby Saunders! Blizzard will order his minions to grab the boy, and put him in the van for safekeeping. Two rounds into the fight, there is a bright flash of light in the air; the signature flash of a time aperture! Arno Stark shows up, fully armed and desperate! Hes been transported through time to the spot mentioned in the article Hawk found, and has just seen his target, young Bobby Saunders, being stuffed into the back of a van! Spend a d6 from the Doom pool to create a new Scene Distinction No Time To Waste! In order to get a retina scan, Arno Stark must be close enough to young Bobby to flash the scanners laser into his right eye. The frightened boy will most likely struggle treat this as a roll against the Doom Pool. Alternatively, Arnos player can spend 1 PP to get the scan without rolling, once hes got hold of Bobby. Arnos actions against young Bobby will likely cause Spider-man to try to protect the boy.

The adult Robert Saunders wears a cybernetic prosthesis, and carries a grudge against Iron Man. It all began here, when he was a boy caught up in a super-powered fight...

Collateral Damage
During the scene, the first time that either Arno Stark or Peter Parker roll 1s during an attack action, pay 1 PP to buy a Doom die. Step it up once for each other 1 in the roll, and immediately spend it to create a Complication based on the collateral damage of the attack young Bobby Saunders has been injured! On a d6, his injuries are severe facial cuts. On a d8, hes in danger of losing an eye. On a d10, there will be severe permanent scarring. On a d12, even with modern reconstructive surgery Bobby will remain horribly scarred. During the scene, you may repeat this in order to escalate the Complication to the next level, so long as Bobbys injuries remain untreated. If possible, this unfortunate circumstance should be something that both Bobby Saunders and Peter Parker can blame on Iron Mans actions.

As soon as Arno Stark puts in an appearance, Blizzard will change his goals: He has a long past of being foiled by Iron Man, and he has no idea that this Iron Man is someone else. For Blizzard, this has just become a grudge match, and a chance to use his new, amplified, powers to get even! Hell concentrate his attention on Iron Man for as long as hes able, firing his Freeze Ray using the Cold Front SFX. In the original comic, Blizzard was killed instantly when Arno counter-attacked using his armors powerful weapons. Once Blizzard is out of the fight, his minions will flee in the van, leaving young Bobby behind to be the focal point of Spider-man and Iron Mans struggle. There is a possibility that the two players will attempt to negotiate, or reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial, despite their reasons for animosity toward one another. Once the Retinal Scanner has been destroyed, such an outcome is very difficult to envision especially within the narrow time limit granted by the Planet-Buster Bombs timer. This Scene ends when Arno Stark returns to his own time, either voluntarily with a retina scan or young Bobby, or involuntarily when the bomb detonates (see sidebar). Either way, Spider-man will be left with a set of questions that will never be fully answered...

The last part of the unfolding tragedy is also the first:

Faulty Bomb Timer

The Planet-Buster Bomb was untested, and there was a tiny flaw in the timing protocols. The flaw would eventually have been found and corrected, but Robert Saunders armed the bomb. During this scene, if there are ever 2d12 in the Doom pool spend them immediately to end the scene. The bomb detonates in 2015, destroying the time machine, and snapping Arno Stark back to his present.

Aftermath Transition Scene 1986

If Spider-man was able to rescue Bobby from both Blizzard and Iron Man his father, Richard Saunders, will be very grateful. He will offer Spider-man not only his heartfelt thanks, but reward money as well. With the rent paid, Peter will not have to take the dangerous NOW assignment, and he can spend time with Aunt May and Mary Jane, repairing his relationships.

Unlockables
5 XP: Spider-man will let Richard Saunders loan him $275.36; enough to make the rent this month. 10 XP: A Favor Owed gain Richard Saunders as a potential D10 Business Resource. If Arno Stark vanishes with young Bobby, taking him to the future, young Bobby will never be seen again and Spider-man will be held responsible for his loss by J. Jonah Jameson and Richard Saunders. Jameson will also be angry with Peter Parker Parker, you always have shots of that spiderfreak! Why this time of all times, do you come up empty! The shareholders want answers! You do realize that if we had photos, there might be some evidence of where the kid was taken when he vanished! Parker, youre fired! Hounded by the press, without a job or rent-money, and alienated from his Aunt and Mary Jane, Peter Parkers future has never looked darker

Unlockables
5 XP: Replace Distinction Friendly Neighborhood Hero with Shadow Spider New Milestone, replacing Money Troubles: Homeless
1 XP - When you spend a night sleeping in the open, miss a meal, or lack basic necessities because you have no home and no money. 3 XP - When you avoid contact with the people from your former more prosperous life, or when you comply with orders to move along because you are seen as an undesirable. 10XP - When you find a place to stay and a source of income, or when you turn to crime in order to survive.

Aftermath Transition Scene 2015

If the bomb detonates in 2015, it destroys Stark Enterprises entirely, killing Hawk, Cynthia, Arno Jr., all the employees of Stark International, and everyone else within a ten-mile radius. The time machine, too, ceases to exist, and Arno Stark snaps back to the smoking crater that is all that remains of his life. This is the origin of the villainous mercenary Iron Man of 2020; a sad and bitter man, fighting for no cause but that of the highest bidder.

Unlockables
5 XP: Replace Distinction Too Busy for Family with Embittered Mercenary

New Milestone, replacing Displaced in Time: Brutal

1 XP - When you first inflict Physical Stress or Physical Trauma in a Scene. 3 XP - When you Stress Out an opponent with Physical Stress. 10XP - When you kill an opponent, or when you show mercy to a Stressed Out or surrendering foe.

If, instead, Arno Stark returns to his own time with a retina scan, or with young Bobby Saunders, he can easily disarm the Planet-Buster Bomb. Coming so close to losing everything could change Arno Stark. A close brush with destiny is often a wake-up call; it can cause a man to reassess his life and his priorities. Arno Stark might realize that his family needs him as much as his business does. He might even choose to follow in Tony Starks footsteps, and get out of the munitions business

Unlockables
10 XP: Gain Time Machine as a D10 Tech Resource. 5 XP: Replace Distinction Too Busy for Family with Family Matters New Milestone, replacing Displaced in Time: Building Bridges
1 XP - When you put the happiness of your immediate family above the completion of your mission. 3 XP - When you re-connect with estranged members of your family, settle a longstanding argument with someone, or make amends to a person harmed by your actions. 10XP - When you return the direction of Stark International toward peaceful projects, or when you decline to continue Tony Starks legacy and remain a munitions manufacturer.

In this version of the Aftermath, the fate of young Bobby Saunders is left for you to explore. Ripped from his family and his home timeline, and likely seriously injured in the process, Bobby will be inclined to hate Arno Stark. What might happen if he finds out the truth about his future self? Alternatively, might Arno or Hawk be willing to extend the hand of friendship to young Bobby, and try to ease his physical and emotional suffering?

Variations
The most significant variation you could try for this Mini-Event is to turn it from a two player scenario into a single player scenario. Either Spider-Man or Iron Man could be rewritten as a Watcher character, and serve as opposition for their counterpart. In that case, remember to play your Watcher version hard Arno Stark is a desperate man, fighting to save his family and his business empire from certain destruction, while Peter Parker is equally desperate to protect his young friend from the actions of a seeming madman.

Keeping the Plot Moving

This Mini-Event has been written to closely follow the sequence of events in the original comic upon which it is based. This has the unfortunate effect of seeming to restrict player decision-making to only those choices which move the plot toward its climax. Although both characters do have a date with destiny, they are not quite on a railroad. As Watcher, you can improvise freely around the players actions; but if you wish, you can use the following ideas to nudge the story back toward the destined encounter mentioned in the Daily Bugle article. In the unlikely event that Arno Stark fails to respond to the initial terrorist attack, Stark Internationals security forces will bring Robert Saunders stolen escape vehicle down in a fiery crash leaving Arno with no direct way to defuse the Planet-Buster Bomb If Spider-man is unable to stop Blizzards robbery, and is Stressed Out of the fight, Peter Parker will wind up with some eminently salable photographs; J. Jonah Jameson will pay big money for shots of Spider-man being beaten! J. J. J. will be so pleased, in fact, that he will offer Peter an important job for NOW Magazine If Arno Stark doesnt think of using the time machine to solve his problem, Hawk will certainly suggest it. But there are only two points in the entire lifetime of Robert Saunders when his location can be pinpointed exactly: one when he was in Lab B arming the bomb, and one mentioned in the Daily Bugle article. Hawk will point out that traveling back and engaging in a high-energy battle inside Lab B risks triggering the bomb anyway... If Peter Parker decides against taking the NOW Magazine job, he will be in no hurry to get to the airport, and in no trouble with Mary Jane. He will likely still be broke in which case young Bobby showing up looking for photography lessons, and willing to pay for them, might be a life-saver. Dropping young Bobby off at the Bugle offices after his first lesson, Peter will spot the distinctive green van used by Blizzard during the bank robbery and that will look like a job for your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man!