History YMMV / Champions

* {{Anvilicious}} - Steven Long's preference for [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks the dark age]] [[AudienceAlienatingEra of comic books]], and occasionally other personal politics, shine through in various supplements.

* AudienceAlienatingEra: ''Champions New Millenium'' which featured a new system (that players hated) and updated the setting to a DarkerAndEdgier 1990s Image-style universe. That the artists from Creator/RTalsorianGames felt like copying Creator/RobLiefeld art for their illustrations probably didn't help.

* {{Squick}}: As some Reddit [[https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/warru1/american_comics_the_long_grubby_sleazy_and/ restrospective]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/wiuppu/american_comics_the_long_grubby_sleazy_and/ threads]] bring up, a big part of the makers of the game disowning the spinoff comic book series is head writer Dennis Malonee working more and more uncomfortable sexual proclivities into the narrative. To name just one, flagship heroine Flare had her first relationship and sexual encounter with her brother. While they were both teens.

* Squick: As some Reddit [[https://old.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/warru1/american_comics_the_long_grubby_sleazy_and/ restrospective]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/wiuppu/american_comics_the_long_grubby_sleazy_and/ threads]] bring up, a big part of the makers of the game disowning the spinoff comic book series is head writer Dennis Malonee working more and more uncomfortable sexual proclivities into the narrative. To name just one, flagship heroine Flare had her first relationship and sexual encounter with her brother. While they were both teens.

** This trope also applied pretty strongly to ''Champions: New Millennium'', which used an entirely new system which combined elements of both Interlock (the system for {{Game/Cyberpunk 2020}} and MektonZ) and the Hero System. Of course, C:NM ''did'' suck. C:NM sucked so badly that Fuzion, the name of the system used, is now very much a derogatory term in the Hero System fandom.

* {{Anvilicious}} - Steven Long's preference for [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks the dark age]] [[DorkAge of comic books]], and occasionally other personal politics, shine through in various supplements.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Unavoidable to an extent for something that had such a long lifespan, but perhaps the most notable example is the module ''Road Kill'', which is about a team of leather-clad, Mohawk-sporting, death-metal-playing supervillain rockers. When they make their play to broadcast their manifesto, they plan to do so by hijacking the feed for MTV, thinking that's the only TV channel that actually matters.

* CreatorsPet: Steven Long's "Harbinger of Justice", shows up a ton in any of the Dark Champions books with various villains mentioning how they fear another onslaught by the guy. In a setting where having an assault rifle with armour piercing bullets is a major superpower, the Harbinger can teleport weapons into his hands from an other-dimensional source and he's faster than most speedsters in regular Champions, more armoured than many powersuit guys and smarter than a science hero. Besides his massive pool of points, he also gets powers discounted by having them get drawbacks that are merely cosmetic (something the game system tells players not to do) - so he's actually more powerful than his point total shows.* FanNickname:

* CreatorsPet: Steven Long's "Harbinger of Justice", shows up a ton in any of the Dark Champions books with various villains mentioning how they fear another onslaught by the guy. In a setting where having an assault rifle with armour piercing bullets is a major superpower, the Harbinger can teleport weapons into his hands from an other-dimensional source and he's faster than most speedsters in regular Champions, more armoured than many powersuit guys and smarter than a science hero. Besides his massive pool of points, he also gets powers discounted by having them get drawbacks that are merely cosmetic (something the game system tells players not to do) - so he's actually more powerful than his point total shows.
* DorkAge - ''Champions New Millenium'' which featured a new system (that players hated) and updated the setting to a DarkerAndEdgier 1990s Image-style universe. That the artists from Creator/RTalsorianGames felt like copying Creator/RobLiefeld art for their illustrations probably didn't help.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Unavoidable to an extent for something that had such a long lifespan, but perhaps the most notable example is the module ''Road Kill'', which is about a team of leather-clad, death-metal-playing supervillain rockers. When they make their play to broadcast their manifesto, they plan to do so by hijacking the feed for MTV, thinking that's the only TV channel that actually matters.

** This trope also applied pretty strongly to ''Champions: New Millennium'', which used an entirely new system which combined elements of both Interlock (the system for {{Game/Cyberpunk 2020}} and MektonZ) and the Hero System. Of course, C:NM ''did'' suck. C:NM sucked so badly that Fuzion, the name of the system used, is now very much a derogatory term in the Hero System fandom.

** According to the rules of the universe from 5E onward, superpowers and the kind of tech that only exists in comic book universes is only feasible if the amount of ambient magic in the universe is high enough to bend the rules of physics. If some cosmic event causes that amount to go down, [[RealityEnsues then reality will start behaving realistically]]. Superpowers won't be possible and implausible technology will indeed be implausible. But through all this, immortals will stay immortal.

* SerialNumbersFiledOff: ''The Great Super-Villain Contest'' was a module from early in the game's lifespan where villains compete for points by beating up heroes. The author of that module was one of the people who broke off from the developers of the game to continue the comic book series originally based on the game [[note]] Some of the villains who originated in ''The Great Super-Villain Contest'' show up in the comic series eventually as well [[/note]], but the fourth-edition version of ''Champions Universe'' still describes it happening in official continuity. Just under a different name and with a villain they still owned running the contest instead.

* SerialNumbersFiledOff: ''The Great Super-Villain Contest'' was a module from early in the game's lifespan where villains compete for points by beating up heroes. The author of that module was one of the people who broke off from the developers of the game to continue the comic book series originally based on the game [[note]] Some of the villains who first appeared in ''The Great Super-Villain Contest'' show up in the comic series as well [[/note]], but the fourth-edition version of ''Champions Universe'' still describes it happening in official continuity. Just under a different name and with a villain they still owned running the contest instead.

** [[AIIsACrapshoot Mechanon]] is an AI who has grown to despise organic life. Aiming to [[OmnicidalManiac annihilate humankind]], Mechanon made his first appearance massacring over a dozen White House officials to seek the nuclear codes and [[NukeEm launch the US's arsenal]]. Returning with grandiose schemes to exterminate mankind, Mechanon also enslaves any AI under his own control, as little more than extensions of his own will.