Justice Story Arc Discussion

I've been doing a lot of arcs lately, and unfortunately haven't had the time to post reviews. It should be noted that each and every one of these deserve their own post, but because I don't want to spam the forums, I'm putting them all in one. I hope the authors understand.

Arc Name: Welcome To My Nightmare
Arc ID: 77274
Morality: Neutral
Creator: @Abraxxus
Difficulty Level: There are a few boss battles, one EB/AV fight. It's nothing terribly difficult, but you might want some back up.
Arc Description: Strange things are afoot.
Arc Length: 5 missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: This story tells a disturbing tale of a little boy named Steven. Brax does an excellent job of creating something that is wholly unique to the CoH world, but doesn't feel the least bit out of place. The story is very well written, is completely creepy, but also very funny at times. Brax's custom enemies are nicely done and look great. He also uses character models you don't see too often to create an ethereal, otherworldly experience. It's a very well-crafted arc and one of the best I've played yet.

Arc Name: The Footsteps Initiative
Arc ID: 2291
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Muu
Difficulty Level: Easily soloable
Arc Description: The Footsteps Initiative exists to partner up established Heroes - like you - with a group of youngsters, thereby allowing the newer heroes to benefit from your wisdom and experience. Registering with Footsteps is your chance to help shape the next generation of costumed vigilante.
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: I ran this arc after watching Laser Jesus and Living Hellfire argue over its merit. I became curious to see what they were talking about, and am very glad that I did. This arc has to be one of the best I have played yet, due to the fact that it's completely self-referential and meta to the extreme. I laughed so hard doing this arc, especially when I read the bios of the unique characters. Gotta side with LJ on this one (sorry Liv) - this arc is awesome.

Arc Name: Martian Chimpanzees and the Cyborg Cheerleaders of DOOM!
Arc ID: 69947
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Loonatic
Difficulty Level: Easily soloable
Arc Description: Martian Chimpanzee invaders! Cyborg Cheerleaders! 'nuff said.
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: I originally ran this arc just because the title caught my eye. I wasn't expecting much, but it was very good! The contact is unique, and his dialogue had me cracking up. The custom faction in this mission is very well done, and looks great. The chatter of the boss in the first mission had tears rolling down my face. The whole thing is just great.

Arc Name: Soldiers of Fortune
Arc ID: 4431
Morality: Villainous
Creator: @Mekkanos
Difficulty Level: Easily soloable. One EB fight
Arc Description: Fight two ruthless mercenary groups for an ancient item of power with the help of some unusual allies!
Arc Length: Five missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Mekkanos created a very nice custom group to tell a story that uses known canon. He weaves the two together nicely to create an interesting story. I liked this one a lot, as it uses maps you don't see very often.

Arc Name: Rise of the Drakule
Arc ID: 51357
Morality: Neutral
Creator: @LaserJesus
Difficulty Level: Quite challenging solo, but not impossible. Lots of fun with a team.
Arc Description: An ancient prophecy portends the rise of the evil Drakule. You must venture deep within his lair and destroy him!
Arc Length: Two missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: LJ takes a Justice server in-joke and makes it pure gold. His custom characters are very well done, and are challenging without being over done. The last fight is a lot of fun with a group.

Arc Name: Return of the Revenge of the Son of Drakule Part 2: First Blood
Arc ID: 84543
Morality: Neutral
Creator: @LaserJesus
Difficulty Level: Better suited for team play, but not impossible solo
Arc Description: The dark lord of darkness, Drakule, has been banished to his prison in the underworld, but a new and terrible threat has risen to destroy the mortal realm!
Arc Length: Three missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: This sequel is just as good as the original. Funny, sarcastic, and 100% Justice lunacy. Nicely done.

Arc Name: Saul Rubenstien's Discount Task Force
Arc ID: 1012
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Ascendant
Difficulty Level: Easily soloable
Arc Description: Friends, do you want action, adventure, danger, and maybe a little romance, but don't want to pay for "Name Brand" Task Forces run by pricey heroes like Positron and Statesman? Then, come visit me, Saul Rubenstien, and I'll put you and any of your friends in a brand new Task Force for only $19.99!
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: This is the only Dev's Choice arc I have played (yet) that I actually thought deserved the honor. The entire time you are playing this, you know the contact is screwing you, but you don't care. It's fun to play, hilarious to read, and very well done.

Arc Name: A Clone in the Dark
Arc ID: 91714
Morality: Hero
Creator: @Plasma Warrior
Difficulty Level: Well, I soloed it easily enough, but I'd love to see it run with a team.
And if I can solo it on my blaster, it can't be all that difficult, either. Then again, I knew what to expect - and there was that one time I was taken by surprise by one of my spawns and was summarily dispatched, so... um... medium?
Arc Description: The plot: Crey scientists have clandestinely obtained DNA from Plasma Warrior, a fire/fire blaster, and have begun creating clones of him in a bid to undermine the hero's credibility and generally run amok in Paragon City. Crey's genetic manipulations, however, have caused abberations in the powers of the clones. Nonetheless, they all must be stopped without fail.
Arc Length: I'd have to guess it falls under "Long" - between 30 and 60 mins to complete. 4 medium-sized mission maps, one escort, 2 defeat alls (EB/AV at the end of mish 4).
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Because I was overtired yesterday when I was messing around with my arc and, in a misguided attempt to edit it, accidentally unpublished it instead. -.-

Play it again... for the first time. Or something like that.

Arc Name: A Series of Unfortunate Kidnappings
Arc ID: 61866
Morality: Hero
Creator: @TheDeepBlue
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Arc Description: Multiple villain groups are kidnapping one child after another from an orphanage in Paragon City.
Arc Length: Average
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: All of DeepBlue's arcs are low level and contain few custom enemies, so they're great if you want to do some MA stuff on one of your lowbie. This one in particular I think is his best. It's got a great theme, and a fun villain at the end. If you want to play a good story that will make you feel like a hero, then this is the one to play.

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This one in particular I think is his best.

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And the setting is in freakin' Galaxy City! Oh, irony. XD

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This one in particular I think is his best.

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And the setting is in freakin' Galaxy City! Oh, irony. XD

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Hey I love Galaxy City. No costume contests.

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This one in particular I think is his best.

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And the setting is in freakin' Galaxy City! Oh, irony. XD

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Hey I love Galaxy City. No costume contests.

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CC in GC in 5 minits. no powerz or ur DQed

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CC in GC in 5 minits. no powerz or ur DQed

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can we do this on another server sometime?

Either Champion or Moonrunner.

Arc Title: Good Intentions
Arc ID: 4155
Creator Global/Forum Name: @Mister Frog
Suggested V/H/N: Hero
Faction: Aracnos/Custom (Concordium)
Synopsis: Really, I don't want to spoil the story

I just want to say that this is, I think, only the third MArc I’ve 5 Starred. Frog weaves a great morality tale that shows that while some people may start on the right path, they can easily get turned around. I’m trying not to reveal too much here since Frog’s description is already purposely vague. Just play it. You’ll love it.

I played his other arc as well. But while "The Mender Frog TF" is good, "Good Intentions" is a true gem.

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This one in particular I think is his best.

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And the setting is in freakin' Galaxy City! Oh, irony. XD

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Hey I love Galaxy City. No costume contests.

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CC in GC in 5 minits. no powerz or ur DQed

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KHAAAN!

Let's try this again and see if the Forums don't go down in the middle of me posting lol.

Arc Name: Rumble with Beef Cake
Arc ID: 1070
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Well this guy is like Green Dwarf in that you will probally get a message from him saying something along the lines of "Hi, I played your arc. I gave you X-Stars, play mine at #1070."
Well the story of his is pretty straightforward, it is one mission where ...well, you brawl with Beef Cake.
This was the one thing that I really liked about the mission. Since it wasn't story driven it was nice that he provided a chart that showed what would spawn on his map depending on what mission setting I was at.
Aside from that it was a pretty straightforward brawl that thankfully lacked any ambushes as his health went down.


Arc Name: Welcome to My Nightmare
Arc ID: 77274
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Ok so this one is right up there with Teri's arc in my opinion with atmosphere. To best sum it up the tone of the story is like Nightmare on Elm Street and Silent Hill went on a date, got really drunk and conceived a baby. From the dialogue to the clues you just get a feeling that everything going on around you is very.... not good. I had to go find my Silent Hill cd and play it in the background as I played through it and was kind of hoping it may persuade Pyramidhead to appear. But alas he did not, sad face.
My only complaints were that the story was VERY ambiguous, to the point that everything in it almost seems random. You're constanly left wondering why you are fighting the things you are fighting but there is never really an explanation to it and by the 5th mission you just start scratching your head trying to come to a conclusion.
I also would have preferred some kind of explanation for the contact (the Curator) in relation to Steven.
Other than that this was an interesting follow-up to it's predecessor, Plastic's Revenge, which has now gone from a one-shot to a Prequel and I would suggest you play through it before this one. It's only one mission so it doesn't take long.

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Arc Name: Rumble with Beef Cake
Arc ID: 1070
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Well this guy is like Green Dwarf in that you will probally get a message from him saying something along the lines of "Hi, I played your arc. I gave you X-Stars, play mine at #1070."
Well the story of his is pretty straightforward, it is one mission where ...well, you brawl with Beef Cake.
This was the one thing that I really liked about the mission. Since it wasn't story driven it was nice that he provided a chart that showed what would spawn on his map depending on what mission setting I was at.
Aside from that it was a pretty straightforward brawl that [n]thankfully[/n] lacked any ambushes as his health went down.


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Say, I haven't been back to his Rumble since I tried it once and was summarily pasted. Did he ever get around to fixing the entire mission map filled to the brim with people who buff him, or is it better now?

Cuz, you know, it kinda wasn't fair.

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Arc Name: Saul Rubenstien's Discount Task Force
Arc ID: 1012
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Ascendant
Difficulty Level: Easily soloable
Arc Description: Friends, do you want action, adventure, danger, and maybe a little romance, but don't want to pay for "Name Brand" Task Forces run by pricey heroes like Positron and Statesman? Then, come visit me, Saul Rubenstien, and I'll put you and any of your friends in a brand new Task Force for only $19.99!
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: This is the only Dev's Choice arc I have played (yet) that I actually thought deserved the honor. The entire time you are playing this, you know the contact is screwing you, but you don't care. It's fun to play, hilarious to read, and very well done.


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I recently played it as well. It's even more fun if you look up who Ascendant is and read up on his famous telephone calls. Fun arc.

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Arc Title: Good Intentions
Arc ID: 4155
Creator Global/Forum Name: @Mister Frog
Suggested V/H/N: Hero
Faction: Aracnos/Custom (Concordium)
Synopsis: Really, I don't want to spoil the story

I just want to say that this is, I think, only the third MArc I’ve 5 Starred. Frog weaves a great morality tale that shows that while some people may start on the right path, they can easily get turned around. I’m trying not to reveal too much here since Frog’s description is already purposely vague. Just play it. You’ll love it.

I played his other arc as well. But while "The Mender Frog TF" is good, "Good Intentions" is a true gem.

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Thanks for the feedback! I do have to admit, I prefer the story in Good Intentions as well...some of the jokes in the MFTF will be lost on several of the newer players, I'm afraid...

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Arc Name: Welcome to My Nightmare
Arc ID: 77274
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Ok so this one is right up there with Teri's arc in my opinion with atmosphere. To best sum it up the tone of the story is like Nightmare on Elm Street and Silent Hill went on a date, got really drunk and conceived a baby. From the dialogue to the clues you just get a feeling that everything going on around you is very.... not good. I had to go find my Silent Hill cd and play it in the background as I played through it and was kind of hoping it may persuade Pyramidhead to appear. But alas he did not, sad face.
My only complaints were that the story was VERY ambiguous, to the point that everything in it almost seems random. You're constanly left wondering why you are fighting the things you are fighting but there is never really an explanation to it and by the 5th mission you just start scratching your head trying to come to a conclusion.
I also would have preferred some kind of explanation for the contact (the Curator) in relation to Steven.
Other than that this was an interesting follow-up to it's predecessor, Plastic's Revenge, which has now gone from a one-shot to a Prequel and I would suggest you play through it before this one. It's only one mission so it doesn't take long.

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I'd post the explanation to the characters and background, but it probably would destroy the mystique around the story...

Also, Plastic's Revenge isnt really a prequel. It was really just a one shot I came up with while working on the Nightmare, it just happens to have Young Steven as the contact. But Green Army Men coming to life and retaliating is somewhat of a nightmare, isn't it?...

I have another round of reviews ready to go. I have to say that I'm really blown away by the quality of many of the arcs I've run in the MA. I'm really impressed by the story telling that many of you are doing.

Arc Name: A Clone in the Dark
Arc ID: 91714
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Plasma Warrior
Difficulty Level: I soloed it easily enough, but it would be a really fun arc to run with a team.
Arc Description: Crey Corporation has done some despicable things in the past, but stealing a hero's DNA to make evil clones of him to attack the city, frame him, and ruin his reputation? That's just wrong.
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Plas spins a simple but interesting tale of foul things afoot at Crey Corp. He also created a neat army of clones of his alts that provide a nice challenge to the player without being a pain to fight. The only complaint I had, and I already shared this with Plas, was that the text and interaction with the contact are sometimes a bit impersonal. However, that's a minor thing in what is otherwise a good story.

Arc Name: The Syndicate Conspiracy
Arc ID: 122186
Morality: Neutral (though I question that; I think it should be Heroic)
Creator: @Plasma Warrior
Difficulty Level: I soloed most of it easily, and was joined by a team mate for the last two missions. We had no trouble with it at all.
Arc Description: Someone wants to silence a witness to a serious crime before she is able to testify, but discovering the party responsible only leads to furthur questions to uncover a plot that leads to some of the most powerful people in Paragon City.
Arc Length: Five missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Plas must have listened to my feedback to "Clone" because the text and contact interaction here is much more personal and the arc over all feels more immersive. The custom group he creates looks good and makes sense, and provides a nice challenge to the player without being over the top. The story is interesting and engaging, and you feel a real sense of urgency to accomplish the goal at hand. I liked it quite a bit.

Arc Name: Project Catnip
Arc ID: 114369
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Manoa
Difficulty Level: Easily soloable
Arc Description: Old Mrs. Shepherd's precious felines have gone missing! Help the crazy old cat lady find them before it's too late!
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: This arc is very cute, very funny, but also nicely written and plotted. Manoa's choice of maps is great and they make sense for what you're doing. She also does a great job on wordplay and makes some very groan-worthy puns. I enjoyed this quite a bit and look forward to more arcs by Manoa.

Arc Name: The Transcendent Part 1
Arc ID: 55527
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Fanny
Difficulty Level: I didn't have any trouble soloing it. It would, however, make a fun arc for a team.
Arc Description: Heroes are going missing and no one knows why or who is doing it. The Dusk Vanguard is caught up in an inter-temporal mess when one of their members is injected with a toxin that will eventually kill her.
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Fanny does a great job of telling the story of her SG - The Dusk Vanguard. In addition to telling her story, she weaves a tale of intrigue and mystery that it's up to you to solve. I'm really looking forward to part 2!

Arc Name: Through Fire and Flame
Arc ID: 54320
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Living Hellfire
Difficulty Level: I had no trouble soloing it.
Arc Description: Positron has sent you a message. He needs to see you, immediately. He said someting about an Arachnos plot and a missing hero.
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: What can I say? I'm a sucker for a story about heroes helping other heroes. Living Hellfire is missing, and it's up to you to find him. I liked this story, but would like to see Liv expand it just a bit. One unintended bit of comedy in this arc is that Positron, as a contact, is bugged. Be prepared for some rather unusual behavior out of him when you get back from the first mission.

Arc Name: Science Gone Wrong
Arc ID: 1488
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Gaderath
Difficulty Level: I ran it on a team of three on Unyeilding, and we didn't have any issues.
Arc Description: Look into who is behind experimenting on random citizens. THere are several places that will probably be difficult for the average soloer or light team.
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Gad tells an interesting story in this arc, and the only complaint I have is that it could be expanded a bit more. I'd like to know more. I did like it, however, and would play it again.

Arc Name: What If....#1. Hurtz Family
Arc ID: 95628
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Killerhurtz
Difficulty Level: I ran this with a team mate, and we didn't have any difficulties
Arc Description: A low level soldier looking to make a name for himself spies on the 5th Column for the underground resistance known as the Council. He kidnaps a family for ransom, but when things don't go according to plan, he eliminates them. This simulation has you saving the family.
Arc Length: Three missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Killer has an interesting take on the MA, as he states up front that his arc is a simulation, an exercise in "what if." I liked that a great deal. It's a take I haven't seen in any other arc I have run so far. The only complaint I had about this arc is that the violence described in the text made me a bit squeamish at times. Overall, however, it was a fun and interesting arc to play.

Arc Name: A Little RnR
Arc ID: 17523
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Thornster
Difficulty Level: I ran the arc with a teamate (Thronster himself!), and while it was a challenge at times, it wasn't too hard.
Arc Description: There is a group of out-of-towners in our fair city. When approached they said they were here for some RnR, but word on the street is that it may be more of the rowdy kind. They don't seem like tourists, so lets find out why they are here.
Arc Length: Three missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Throny's custom faction is very nicely done, and quite good looking. They're not too easy, and not too difficult. The story is completely unique and doesn't rely on canon, yet it feels like it belongs to the CoH world. The story takes some jabs at pop culture and modern life and flows quite nicely.

Arc Name: The Burning of Hearts
Arc ID: 2260
Morality: Villainous
Creator: @DeepBlue
Difficulty Level: Easily soloable
Arc Description: Harrier Payne has a broken heart; the love of his life left him for another man, and he really expected better of her. She needs to be taught a lesson, and he'll pay for your help.
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: I really enjoyed DB's arc "In The Shadow Of The Tower" very much, so I was eager to experience another of his arcs. And this one did not disappoint. The story is more villainous than most low level villain content (think of Weston Phipps, but at level 10). At times, it made me a bit uneasy, but then again that's what players said they wanted to see in villain content. It's nicely written and well executed.

Arc Name: Uncreation
Arc ID: 6832
Morality: Neutral
Creator: @Muu
Difficulty Level: Could be soloed with some challenge, but it's not overly difficult.
Arc Description: It is possible - through no fault of your own, and due to circumstances completely out of your hands - that you are about to destroy the Universe.
Arc Length: Five missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Mekkanos suggested this arc to me, and I played it because I really enjoyed Muu's other arc "The Footsteps Initiative." This arc, however, is nothing like "Footsteps." This arc will leave you with more questions than answers, but despite that I enjoyed it. I think. I'm still working it over in my head.

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Arc Name: Project Catnip
Arc ID: 114369
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Manoa
Difficulty Level: Easily soloable
Arc Description: Old Mrs. Shepherd's precious felines have gone missing! Help the crazy old cat lady find them before it's too late!
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: This arc is very cute, very funny, but also nicely written and plotted. Manoa's choice of maps is great and they make sense for what you're doing. She also does a great job on wordplay and makes some very groan-worthy puns. I enjoyed this quite a bit and look forward to more arcs by Manoa.

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Thanks so much Arwen! I'm really glad you enjoyed it and hope others do as well! I honestly feel that my earlier bad luck was a blessing in disguise and this version turned out far better than the original incarnation that I lost. I've done some puttering on the 3rd mission this weekend after receiving awesome feedback and feel much more comfortable about that particular mission.

Oh, and regarding the puns/wordplay...I used the Somber Traveler scale. If he groaned, cringed and squirmed at a pun or use of wordplay, it made it into the arc!

Arc Name: Sibling Rivalry
Arc ID: 118690
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @Sister Flame
Difficulty Level: Easy to medium depending on AT
Arc Description: A simple bank robbery leads to a pair of siblings locked in a struggle between good and evil. One is a hero and the other is a villain out for revenge.
Arc Length: 5 missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: I've been following Sister Flame's story for awhile and was thrilled to hear that she wanted to publish an arc of her very own. This arc was a father-daughter project with Flame coming up with the story and other tidbits and dad bringing her story to life. The story was simply charming! The custom enemy group is pretty hilarious and had some great lines that were appropriate to their theme (I don't want to give too much away). There were some minor things that need to be polished when I ran it (some spelling/grammar errors), but they didn't really detract from the story and dad is very open to constructive feedback.

All in all, this arc is an absolute must for any member of Sister Flame's Clickey-Clack Posse.

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Arc Name: Uncreation
Arc ID: 6832
Morality: Neutral
Creator: @Muu
Difficulty Level: Could be soloed with some challenge, but it's not overly difficult.
Arc Description: It is possible - through no fault of your own, and due to circumstances completely out of your hands - that you are about to destroy the Universe.
Arc Length: Five missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Mekkanos suggested this arc to me, and I played it because I really enjoyed Muu's other arc "The Footsteps Initiative." This arc, however, is nothing like "Footsteps." This arc will leave you with more questions than answers, but despite that I enjoyed it. I think. I'm still working it over in my head.

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I actually ran a lot of the other arcs that Arwen mentioned in her post and second her statements regarding them. However, I wanted to call attention to this one to say that this one isn't really for everyone. Without spoiling too much, I'll just say that you probably won't have much clue why you're doing what you're doing throughout the arc.

Why did I like it, then? I thought it was genuinely frightening. One idea I find extremely disturbing is the thought of the unknown working on you, which is the central theme in the arc. You don't know why you're doing much of what you're doing or what the contact is talking about but the implications are more than slightly disturbing.

I guess what I'm getting at is that it's not really even close to a standard arc and that might put off some people, judging by its current 4-star average. However, the way it differed from most story arcs was what, in my opinion, made it good.

Arc Name: Fall of the White Plains
Arc ID: 2248
Morality: Hero
Creator: @talia rayvyn
Difficulty Level: Solo/Medium but Group play works too (Medium)
Arc Description: In the final days of the First War, the city of White Plains is under attack by the invaders known as 'the Rikti'. It is up to you to aid Tessa Rayvyn in rescuing her family.
Arc Length:
-Long: Between 30 minutes to an Hour to complete.

Why you think it deserves to be played: Because I had a great time. I played this one a few days ago. It has a nice storyline, flows very well, allies that are by your side without stealing the show and some nice Epic feeling moments. It was nice to meet the Rayvyn familly.

Arc Name: Mender Frog Task Force - A Balance of Power
Arc ID: 27018
Morality: Neutral
Creator: @Mister Frog
Difficulty Level: Has some EB/AV stuff going on, but wasn't difficult.
Arc Description: Help Mender Frog to maintain the balance of power in the super-powered community by going through time and stopping a ploy to reverse the changes brought about by Statesman.
Arc Length: Five missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: In addition to arcs where heroes help other heroes, I'm also a sucker for self-referential humor. This arc, like The Footsteps Initiative, is quite self-referential and very meta. And I loved it. Made me nostalgic and made me laugh at the same time. Very well done and a very fun arc to play.

Arc Name: When Joe met Becky: a love story
Arc ID: 3207
Morality: Heroic
Creator: @PumBumbler
Difficulty Level: Easily soloable
Arc Description: Even bad guys need love. Especially when they weren't that bad to begin with. An extension of the Crimson arc 'Rescue Candice Boxer from the Malta Group' and Vernon von Grun's 'Investigate Devouring Earth attack on Arachnos base' in von Grun's Redemption. Playing those first are helpful.
Arc Length: Four missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Like Pum states in his description, this arc is an extension of two very well known arcs in the game. Vernon von Grun is one of my personal favorites, and that particular Crimson arc is one I actually enjoyed, so I was eager to give this one a shot. And it did not disappoint. Pum tells a great story that has it's funny and humorous moments, but also it's heart-wrenching moments. I don't want to talk about it too much, so as not to spoil it, but I think you guys would enjoy it.

Thanks for the kind words Arwen.

There were a couple of contacts that stood out for the dialog or had characters that were particularly enthralling. The original idea for fleshing out this arc would have ran 6+ missions, which enforced a certain amount of rigorous discipline to hack and slash out the extraneous information. Some of the information left on the cutting room floor is cruft and some self-indulgent, but I hope I got the basic story across.

Unfortunately, it does mean that almost all the mission intros, NPC text and clues are wordier than I think is normal. This means that between fighting and spawns a lot of text might be missed and can make the story a bit disjointed. It also means that my arcs tend to be more of a solo experience since it might be more worthwhile to pause and check clues or scrollback for dialog.

Title: Chocolatier Wars!
Arc ID: 1153
Creator's Global Name: @Electroanagesia
Synopsis: An upset at the World Chocolate Exhibition made European chocolatiers targets for villainy! The one who controls the creative confectionary geniuses controls the Future of Chocolate! Every chocolate lover has a stake in that!
Number of EB's/AV's: One EB in the final mission, but an EB ally to help with it.
Story type: Humorous, and chocolatey.
Mission count: Three missions, but the second mission can be finished by clicking on the machine glowie if you have a nut allergy.
Estimated time to play: Depends how long you spend drooling over the clue descriptions of the optional boxes of chocolate, four glowies in each of the first and second missions. About 30-45 minutes to play.

Special Note: I ate a total of three bags of Guittard chocolate chips while writing and editing this arc so far. (Not all at once)

Why this arc should be played/discussed: I think that the issue of Maestro fighting for one of the few beautiful, complex sensory input methods left to him is interesting. Also of note is the idea that if you control or manipulate the geniuses on the fore of a particular branch of any endeavor, you will guide the path that branch will lean toward, and lessen the diversity of creations that could be produced. At least, in an environment that lets inventors experiment freely, sure, there will be plums sometimes, for instance, whoever thought that the PT Cruiser Convertible was a really cool looking car that would sell well. But, there will also be amazing creations that defy the accepted ideas of what consumers would prefer, finding new things that just plain "work". That whole moment of, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter! I've also noticed that Maestro himself still uses some throwback effects, such as the old grey lines for the visual effects of sonics; it's made me want to find out how many other NPC's still use old visuals for their power effects.

Arc Name: Winters Comming
Arc ID: 101799
Morality: Hero
Creator: @elecotra
Difficulty Level: Normal - the eb doesnt even have full access to his pools
-Solo or Group Orientated - either
-kinda easy, but prevelence of cold useing foes might make it tough
Arc Description: help katie hammon wiht a new threat (not whats listed on arc)
Arc Length: short (one mission)

Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed:
To many multi arc stories not enough story driven one shots (its not a farm)
This one is light on story but it is there, lots of details (for a first and only arc)
and some fun custom foes (not based on toons just made for fun)

Arc Name: Send in the Clowns
Arc ID: 15703
Morality: Hero
Creator: @Kadmon
Difficulty Level: Medium
-Group Orientated, but can be solo'd
-Medium to hard based on the sets of the players; Case in point, Kadmon (BS/Regen) can more or less slaughter one of the AVs without being touched. Sanguine Shrike (MA/SR) has markedly more trouble with him.
Arc Description: A group of nihilistic anarchistic arcane clowns have shown up in Paragon City, causing chaos and problems wherever they show up. A PPD Metahuman Affairs liaison has contacted you to help out. Contains several AVs.
Arc Length: 5 missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: I really can't say anything unbiased here, I was just getting tired of people not playing it. I think it's good, but clearly, since it's my arc, everything about it from me must be taken with a grain of salt.

Arc Name: In the Protection Racket
Arc ID: 30312
Morality: Villain
Creator: @Kadmon
Difficulty Level: Medium
-Solo Orientated, but there is an EB/AV at the end
-Medium, contingent on powersets. See the example in "Send in the Clowns."
Arc Description: The protection racket can be a dangerous business, especially in a world of super heroes, but there must be some profit to be made from it, otherwise why would there still be mobsters doing it? Contains one (1) AV, otherwise should be easily soloable.
Arc Length: 4 missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: See above.

Arc Name: Adventures in Bank Robbery
Arc ID: 166208
Morality: Villain
Creator: @Kadmon
Difficulty Level: Hard
-Group Orientated
-Hard
Arc Description: After that incident in 30312, Lou decides to move on from the protection racket to an old mob standby - Bank robbery! To that end, he has you destroy a rival's warehouse as a distraction. However, when one of the rival's retainers takes exception to this, hilarity ensues! Contains a LOT of AVs!
Arc Length: 5 missions
Why you think it deserves to be played/discussed: Grains of salt and all that rot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Venture I'd never use a nuke in a superhero universe. You nuke a city, you kill 1.5 million people minus one. The last guy not only gets superpowers from the explosion, but ones that let him survive a nuke...and wow, is he torqued off