You've come a long way over these last seven years. And sure there have been some hiccups along the way. Fantastic Four, the Last Stand, Spider-Man 3, Rise of the Silver Surfer… But all that's in the past now because now you're here. President of production for Marvel freaking Studios. You've had trouble not skipping to and from your car in the mornings, though to be fair it's been that way since you got to buy a hot dog from Stan Lee on the set of the very first X-Men movie. Fuck did you love that man.
And here was your chance to get it all right. To fix all the little and big mistakes you've seen made over the last seven years. To show the world what superheroes stand for and what they're capable of.
Of course it's also the last chance. Those hiccups you mentioned were meant to keep the company above water in a time when it was losing money hand-over-fist. Since its bankruptcy in 1996, Marvel's been hanging from a cliff by its fingertips, grasping at crap deal after crap deal and getting pennies. You're so deep in the red that Buddy Baker is asking you to meet his parents. Wrong universe. Sorry.
Marvel Studios is a gamble. A chance for the company to take creative (and financial) control of whatever properties it hasn't sold off. No Spider-Man. No X-Men. No Fantastic Four. Just those guys that nobody's ever heard of. $525 million dollars Merrill Lynch is going to want paid back ASAP.
If it isn't they're taking the Avengers. The properties are the only collateral Marvel had that's worth a damn. Captain America, Nick Fury, Hawkeye, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Shang-Chi, Cloak & Dagger, the Power Pack… if you fail they're all gone and the Marvel Cinematic Universe dies. No pressure right? Don't worry there's more. The rights to Iron Man have just reverted back from New Line Cinema. You've got the rights but he isn't included in the financing deal. The money from Merrill can't be used on it. Marvel's funding this one out of their practically empty pocket. It's not simply the characters who could be lost here. If you mess this one up a lot of people are losing their jobs and Marvel Comics might not survive a second bankruptcy. Please please don't mess this up.
You've got Jon Favreau on Iron Man and Louis Leterrier on The Incredible Hulk (which is very much not a sequel to Ang Lee's horror show from four years ago), both shooting for 2008 release dates. You're actually pretty hyped to be sitting in on casting discussions soon. But before that there's some script-writing to do and, as the comic superfan that you are, you have a few ideas on the direction these stories ought to go. A hero is only as good as his villain is bad, after all! You'll have your chance to suggest other tweaks throughout the process, but choosing the story's conflict and antagonist now will let you define what kind of story you're planning on telling.
Who should be the villain in Marvel's Iron Man?
There are four villains you've been seriously considering for this first foray into the ferrous fighter that is Tony Stark. The first is Obadiah Stane. Iron Monger. A dark mirror to both Tony and Iron Man, Stane could help highlight Tony's journey from amoral arms dealer to hero as well as tie into his background as Howard Stark's son. Anton Vanko's vengeance-obsessed Crimson Dynamo is another option that has potential, though his origin would need some readjustment to fit easily into an origin story. Neither man is Iron Man's greatest nemesis, but a magical villain like the Mandarin isn't easy to work into a tech-heavy origin story even if you find a way to avoid offending anybody with the character. The last of the four you've tossed around is Madame Masque. You're not quite sure how she'd fit into an origin story but Iron Man's femme-fatale sometimes enemy sometimes lover is an interesting character and a female villain is something relatively unexplored.
[] Obadiah Stane as Iron Monger!
[] Anton Vanko as Crimson Dynamo!
[] Zhang Tong as the Mandarin!
[] Whitney Frost as Madame Masque!
[] Well, how about... (write-in)
Who should be the villain in Marvel (and Universal's) The Incredible Hulk?
Hulk's enemies are a strange bunch. Most of them are as monstrous as he is, which could be great for merchandising but devastating to the CGI budget. The two best known are the Leader and Abomination. Samuel Sterns is a fun opposite of Banner. An unremarkable janitor whose exposure to gamma radiation makes him smarter instead of stronger, he'd allow for a weird brains-turned-brawn versus brawn-turned-brains showdown. Abomination is a gamma mutant even bigger and stronger than the Hulk, unable to turn back into a human and determined to prove himself the strongest. There are a few... less conventional ideas you're tossing around. The Wendigo is another monster villain, but he'd allow a scarier take on the character. An isolated Bruce Banner on the run who stumbles into a town with its own monster. Then there's the Ringmaster. An evil circus is pretty out there, but maybe it could be funny? Ah, maybe the idea's a wash.
[] Samuel Sterns as the Leader!
[] Emil Blonsky as Abomination!
[] Paul Cartier as the Wendigo!
[] Maynard Tiboldt as the Ringmaster!
[] Well, how about... (write-in)
We'll begin with the movie which started it all (and that other one with Edward Norton we try not to talk about) and continue onward into the future. You as players will vote on what stories to tackle, which directors to attach to a project, and which actors are perfect for the job. Along the way there'll be feuds with Ike Perlmutter, potential clashes over rights to characters, and opportunities for the discussion in-thread to shape voting options and movie ideas. Below are the basic mechanics for movie development, borrowed from a very good friend of mine. You can always write-in a (reasonable) vote, even if I don't always remember to include the option to do so. Subject to veto though.
The start of a project varies, but generally will begin with the development of a script, be it as an adaptation of a particular comic book story or simply a character in general. This phase can also begin with a specific Director and/or Writer approaching with their idea for an adaptation to attempt.
This process typically takes between 3 to 18 months, depending on how often the basic concept has to be retouched. Given that this is a roll-based game, I'll roll a 1d100 (+ or - any modifiers for how difficult a certain concept or adaptation might be to get right) to determine script quality. If the thread feels the resulting roll isn't acceptable, we can reroll up to 5 times (each adding ~3 months) until getting something workable. After 5 failures, the project will be put to the side for a while we work on other projects and can be sold off or mothballed permanently.
Financing is the way you acquire the funds to produce movies. Every studio in the world has financing partners who provide a certain amount of money in exchange for a return. Studios whose movies keep flopping are less likely to get good deals or even deals at all, resulting in them being forced to raise the needed funds in other means (such as selling off the rights to characters) to stay afloat.
The infamously frugal Ike Perlmutter will be the biggest roadblock here, though as your value rises you can push for more and attempt to get out from under his thumb. If Disney ends up making an offer you probably won't need to worry about money again, but they'll also get to buy Star Wars so that's an awfully tricky situation. Let's just focus on making good stories, eh?
This is the phase where you narrow down the options of the production, setting the vision of the projects and completing all the planning that takes place before the camera rolls. During this phase you'll work out shoot locations and casting. The Producer will hire a Line Manager or Production Manager to create the schedule and budget for the film.
This process typically takes between 1 to 12 months, depending on how long the locations and set up take. Given that this is a rolls-based game, I'll roll a 1d100 (+ or - any modifiers) to determine how much everything will cost and another 1d100 (+ or - and modifiers) to determine if things run on the schedule you've set. The budget you portion out to a movie doesn't give any inherent negative or positive modifier, but does shift the DC for other rolls depending on the type of movie you're making.
This phase is the actual shooting of the movie! It's key to keep planning ahead of the daily shoot. Stick to budget, stick to schedule, and make sure there's communication between location, set, office, and all other parties involved.
This process typically takes between 1 to 4 months, depending on how long the locations and set up take. Some directors shoot far quicker (a minimum of 4 days is the record, I think) or far long (8 months and counting, Scorsese!), but it'll be rare to approach either of those extremes. Given that this is a rolls-based game, I'll roll a 1d100 (+ or - any modifiers) to determine the length of the production (based on the timeline of your choosing) and then a second 1d100 (+ or - any modifiers) to determine the overall quality of the production, which will give + or - modifiers to the final numbers at the box office. Picking good actors and a good script sets you up to succeed here!
This stage starts when principal photography ends, but they may overlap somewhat. The bulk of post-production consists of reviewing the footage and assembling the movie (editing). There'll be contributions as needed from Visual Effects (VFX), Music and Sound Design. The picture will now be locked and delivery elements will be created. If there are any scenes of the film that need to be re-shot, I'll roll a 1d50 (+ or - any modifiers like budgeting, release dates, etc…) which will be added to the roll in question (such as an actors' personal scenes, two actors' chemistry, or the overall piece).
Once the film is completed, it must be distributed. This is how production companies make their money back, and a considerable amount of time and energy will be invested to secure the right distribution deals for your projects. The film will go into the cinema and/or be distributed via the various online platforms which will emerge such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, HBO, etc.
You as players will negotiate with the various platforms regarding distribution (first run in the cinemas, second run on DVD, VHS, Blu-ray, online, third run on television) regarding your returns and their own. With cinemas they'll usually want a percentage of the box office for the 1 to 4 months it'll be showing. DVD sales are split between the studio and the distributors, while television gets you a small flat fee per use.
Keeping it simple, there'll be a roll for FAN BUZZ (which is a 1d100 + or - any modifiers) to determine overall fan creation to the movie, a CRITICS BUZZ (which is a 1d50 + or - any modifiers) to determine critical response to the movie, a BOX OFFICE roll (which will vary depending on the genre and time-slot of the film and be modified by star power, overall quality, buzz, and other factors and is split into DOMESTIC and INTERNATIONAL), and a MERCHANDISING REVENUE roll which is influenced by how toy-friendly the film may be.
Higher rolls in pre-production, production, advertising, and acting leading up to the release will help provide positive modifiers to FAN BUZZ, CRITICS BUZZ, BOX OFFICE, and MERCHANDISING REVENUE. Which are in all caps because money is important.
The DC for a successful film varies based on genre, expenditure, release date, and other factors, the below can be considered a baseline to determine success:
–Meeting a DC of 30 means the movie did not make back its money by as much as half or more.
–Meeting a DC of 50 means that the movie made back its money with minimal loss or profit.
–Meeting a DC of 80 means that the movie has made back its money and is financially a success.
–Meeting a DC of 110 means the movie has probably broken some sort of box office record.
As an additional note, player-made content (omakes, concept art, high quality discussion) can both actively shape this world (offering new voting options and story ideas) and provide modifiers to the dice rolls. I reserve the right to grade based on quality and effort, but any omake about shenanigans happening on set might give a +5 to the production roll or the roll for chemistry between (as a very random example) Joaquin Phoenix's Hulk and Bryce Dallas Howard's Jarella. A player can also save these granted bonuses for a time when they think it's needed or want to boost a specific story.
Be sure to vote properly! A sub-vote without a parent vote will not be counted toward the final tally. Copy and pasting is a good way to avoid typos which can remove you from the winning option.
[X] Obadiah Stane as Iron Monger!
There's a reason Iron Man was such a hit. It was bang on.
[X] Samuel Sterns as the Leader!
The Hulk movie, on the other hand, has basically no attention given to it, so shaking things up is safer. Starting with a big Hulk villain is going to help drum up interest. You don't start niche, you work the popular angle first.
This sounds like it's going to be an incredibly meta quest, so I'm already loving it.
[X] Obadiah Stane as Iron Monger!
There's a reason Iron Man was such a hit. It was bang on.
[X] Samuel Sterns as the Leader!
The Hulk movie, on the other hand, has basically no attention given to it, so shaking things up is safer. Starting with a big Hulk villain is going to help drum up interest. You don't start niche, you work the popular angle first.
This sounds like it's going to be an incredibly meta quest, so I'm already loving it.
The Leader seems like a good sequal movie villain. We need to establish Banner and Hulk's character and I think a small town setting works well for that purpose. Shows him running for place to place and his struggle controlling Hulk. The Wendigo also allows for a more horror angle, and perhaps Hulk being the Monster that stops other Monsters, which is a good thing to establish going into Avengers.
[X] Obadiah Stane as Iron Monger!
It's important to get this right in the first movie. Barely anyone gives a shit about Iron Man so we need to keep him the focus, instead of adding a villain that would distract people from him and overshadow him. Plus, the others all work better with more set up.
[X] Maynard Tiboldt as the Ringmaster!
Hulk, on the other hand, everyone knows. So we can have fun. Hulk vs. an evil Circus sounds kinda amazing. Plus it's a nice change from going with the EVIL OPPOSITES that every MCU movie did in phase one.
This is the most unique idea for a quest I ever seen. I look forward with great interest to how this quest's take on Marvel is going to be different from the real world's Marvel.
[X] Obadiah Stane as Iron Monger!
[X] Paul Cartier as the Wendigo!
Maybe do Madame Masque in Iron Man 2 to show Tony's commitment to Pepper at the end?
I'd keep Crimson Dynamo as a potential hero in the desk.
For Hulk I'd rather not go with a dark mirror after doing it in Iron Man. I like the angle of Hulk being the monster that takes on other monsters. Wendigo, being unrelated to Hulk, would also mean that we would already establish that there is more to this universe than meets the eye.
Definitely going for the opposites in both cases to try and define the characters a bit better by what they're not.
[X] Obadiah Stane as Iron Monger!
[X] Samuel Sterns as the Leader!
Also out of interest, where you looking at Undercover Comics @Charcolt when setting up the mechanics? Seems pretty similar in terms of setting things up into phases.
Also out of interest, where you looking at Undercover Comics @Charcolt when setting up the mechanics? Seems pretty similar in terms of setting things up into phases.
[X] Obadiah Stane as Iron Monger!
It's important to get this right in the first movie. Barely anyone gives a shit about Iron Man so we need to keep him the focus, instead of adding a villain that would distract people from him and overshadow him. Plus, the others all work better with more set up.
The Leader seems like a good sequal movie villain. We need to establish Banner and Hulk's character and I think a small town setting works well for that purpose. Shows him running for place to place and his struggle controlling Hulk. The Wendigo also allows for a more horror angle, and perhaps Hulk being the Monster that stops other Monsters, which is a good thing to establish going into Avengers.
Or Droman was also trying to turn Game Dev Tycoon into a set of quest mechanics 
.
