Axis America, 30 Merits, and Fixed MM Power: 5SF!
By
DeviousMe,
Posted on: 2009-07-17 23:19 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
If only it'd been like that for launch 
NIce! That SF is much more fun than the Hero side one! I'm sure more people will play it because of the merit increase!
@Radmind - Justice Server
ClintarCOH - Twitter
ClintarCOH - Twitter
[/center] Funny story, friend of mine tried it twice tonight, failed both times. And this other guy I know, listened to anecdotal evidence? Got hit by a truck.
Are they original Axis America (with Fifth Column masks) or what the AE calls Axis America, which are actually Council Empire with different names?
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The 5th Column Strike Force (aka Barracuda Strike Force) is now very fixed.
When you go to Axis America dimension, the troops are Axis America and not the 5th Column (thanks, Devs!).
The MM click power works. Reichsmann didn't once go into Unbreakable mode (thanks, Devs!).
And the SF is now worth 30 Merits (thanks, Devs!).
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Still, IMO, 30 merits isn't enough for this SF
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Are they original Axis America (with Fifth Column masks) or what the AE calls Axis America, which are actually Council Empire with different names?
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Originals.
Our group completed it in 1:26.
For the final Reichsman, we hid in the right corner in the tight alley off of the platform. Reichsie joined us and the four MMs used their power on him and he never went Unbreakable. So, it was just a matter of healing bubble, AoEs, and the other temp powers to keep us alive as the ambushers came as we took Reichsie out in about 5 min.
The 30 Merits right now is a place holder. Now that the SF is in its final form, the real datamining can begin.
Speeding Through New DA Repeatables || Spreadsheet o' Enhancements || Zombie Skins: better skins for these forums || Guide to Guides
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Are they original Axis America (with Fifth Column masks) or what the AE calls Axis America, which are actually Council Empire with different names?
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Originals.
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These guys need to show up in the MA soon plz. (Also maybe the original Axis America map too?)
Never surrender! Never give up!
Help keep Paragon City alive with the unofficial City of Heroes Tabletop Role Playing Game!
Now we just need a significant plot rewrite on the 'I serve the 5th Column' from the Reichsman and less bowing to Recluse and we'll actually have a coherent, proactive SF for villains.
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
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Now we just need a significant plot rewrite on the 'I serve the 5th Column' from the Reichsman and less bowing to Recluse and we'll actually have a coherent, proactive SF for villains.
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I was kinda ticked about this whole tip-toeing around Recluse business myself. Dude, I kicked your future self's butt, if we fight, the world is doomed... you're gonna let me borrow your Lieutenants and anything else I want and you'll like it.
Oh, and a better explanation as to why Reichsman's able to curb-stomp the team "out of the box."
The whole "siphoning power from Alternate Mark Coles" thing isn't doing it for me... Especially when he's curb-stomping players as soon as he's out of the box!
And get that Fifth Column emblem off his chest! He's Axis Amerika, not Fifth Column! They come to him, not the other way around!
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
I have a feeling it has been corrected as much as they're gonna correct it. We're just gonna have to pretend it makes lore sense and that the story and characters were not bungled as much as they were.
My Going Rogue Trailer
Virtue (blue) - Wes The Mess
Virtue (red) - Jess The Best
@Razoras
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Now we just need a significant plot rewrite on the 'I serve the 5th Column' from the Reichsman and less bowing to Recluse and we'll actually have a coherent, proactive SF for villains.
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The less bowing to Recluse was redone during the beta. Lord REcluse is much more respectful of you as much a domineering, overbearing, powerful, egotistical Overlord will be.
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Oh, and a better explanation as to why Reichsman's able to curb-stomp the team "out of the box."
The whole "siphoning power from Alternate Mark Coles" thing isn't doing it for me... Especially when he's curb-stomping players as soon as he's out of the box!
And get that Fifth Column emblem off his chest! He's Axis Amerika, not Fifth Column! They come to him, not the other way around!
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I assumed he'd always had been draining other Reichmans (Reichmen?) for their power, which is why the Freedom Phalanx had to imprison him in stasis rather than actually defeat him and lock him up.
As for his loyalty to the 5th Column and the symbol on his chest. Maybe Axis Amerika have their own 5th Column? A sort of elite group within the standard troops. Like SAS or Navy Seals or whatever.
It probably wouldn't be called the a 5th Column, though.
My Going Rogue Trailer
Virtue (blue) - Wes The Mess
Virtue (red) - Jess The Best
@Razoras
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I assumed he'd always had been draining other Reichmans (Reichmen?) for their power, which is why the Freedom Phalanx had to imprison him in stasis rather than actually defeat him and lock him up.
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You mean an alternate Phalanx?
Yeah... That would make more sense. Except the original lore explained that he was "as powerful as Statesman," while his entourage wasn't nearly as powerful. Meanwhile, the Blueside Kahn TF still has the "Draining alternate Marcus Coles" explanation... There's the problem of which Marcus Coles, because not all of them can be like himself, Tyrant and Statesman, and if they ARE, then it certainly can't be as simple as rounding them up and putting them in a big box the way the missions simply gloss over.
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As for his loyalty to the 5th Column and the symbol on his chest. Maybe Axis Amerika have their own 5th Column? A sort of elite group within the standard troops. Like SAS or Navy Seals or whatever.
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One of these is not like the other...
You'd have been better off referring to them as an "Inner Circle," but that's hardly the case here, either. His loyalty is, first and foremost, to himself. The Fifth Column serves HIM, not the other way around. He is a conqueror, every bit as much as Tyrant. He rules his world with an iron fist, and a man with that much power and abuses it for his own gains simply should not make any indication of bowing to another group.
He's not a part of Big Brother, he IS Big Brother! He's as long-lived as it ever will be, and will probably even live long past it! He's what Axis Amerika and the Fifth Column emulate, the Ubermench who has taken his rightful place over the rest of the teeming masses of humanity and lords over it as he rightly should. The idea that he would even humor the thought of "serving" another, in any capacity, is insulting to the idea of such a monstrous villain.
And the emblem on his chest is simply ridiculous. Statesman's got a star on spandex. Recluse has a muted spider worked into his armor as an etching or filigree. Tyrant doesn't even have a symbol. Reichsman has a regal uniform that is marred by a big ugly oval slapped over the top of it with an emblem of a group he hadn't even HEARD of before he was locked in the freezer.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
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Now we just need a significant plot rewrite on the 'I serve the 5th Column' from the Reichsman and less bowing to Recluse and we'll actually have a coherent, proactive SF for villains.
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I was kinda ticked about this whole tip-toeing around Recluse business myself. Dude, I kicked your future self's butt, if we fight, the world is doomed... you're gonna let me borrow your Lieutenants and anything else I want and you'll like it.
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Recluse shows you some respect now, but he's still one of the most powerful villains in the world and the head of Arachnos. Even Destined Ones shouldn't take him lightly.
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Oh, and a better explanation as to why Reichsman's able to curb-stomp the team "out of the box."
The whole "siphoning power from Alternate Mark Coles" thing isn't doing it for me... Especially when he's curb-stomping players as soon as he's out of the box!
And get that Fifth Column emblem off his chest! He's Axis Amerika, not Fifth Column! They come to him, not the other way around!
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I assumed he'd always had been draining other Reichmans (Reichmen?) for their power, which is why the Freedom Phalanx had to imprison him in stasis rather than actually defeat him and lock him up.
As for his loyalty to the 5th Column and the symbol on his chest. Maybe Axis Amerika have their own 5th Column? A sort of elite group within the standard troops. Like SAS or Navy Seals or whatever.
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That wa my attempt to expalin it back during beta. Reichsman's own elite unit and troops.
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Now we just need a significant plot rewrite on the 'I serve the 5th Column' from the Reichsman and less bowing to Recluse and we'll actually have a coherent, proactive SF for villains.
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The first part is a pretty valid story issue, but I thought the bowing to Recluse part was actually fixed. I seem to recall seeing someone posting a number of screenshots from a relatively late version of the SF and Recluse seems to give you the respect you deserve now.
Nice to see they put the actual Axis America in the SF too. I hope they'll put them in the MA pretty soon to replace the "We're not the Council Empire! Honest!" Axis America we have right now.
My arcs:
Title: Blitzkrieg
Arc ID: 3416
Title: Soldiers of Fortune
Arc ID: 4431
Title: The Rikti Accession
Arc ID: 278757
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It probably wouldn't be called the a 5th Column, though.
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Why not? Parallel Earths, remember? The only things we know about Axis Earth is that the Axis powers won World War II. We don't know how long and when it actually happened. If WWII of our earth went the other way, it would have been years before the continental US finally would have fallen. The Axis Powers would have had to either deveop new long range bombers or gradually conquer Sourth and Central Americas in order to have staging areas in order to strike into the US. Fighting the US on US soil would have been incredible difficult.
If Marcus Cole of Axic Earth had his own elite unit as I and others have suggested, they could have been tasked with infiltrating the coutries the Axis Powers were fighthing and weaken them from within. Much like the 5th Column did on Primal Earth. The 5th Column with Resichsman in the lead would have been vitially important to weaken the US in order for it to fall. And extrapolating from the Axis Earth maps, it seems that the US didn't fall until very recently. They may be still some remaining US resistance fighters.
Also, Reichsmann having a "Fifth Column" log on his chest is no surprise- the old Axis Amerika map was liberally festooned with Fifth Column banners, which actually makes some sense- you're in the alternate Paragon City, and the timeline appears to have diverged during WWII, when the Column was active in the States. Hmm... wonder if Axis Amerika was created when Ubelmann succeeded?
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
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Hmm... wonder if Axis Amerika was created when Ubelmann succeeded?
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No. Axis American is what was in the game from Issue 1 until Issue 3 when the Council took over the 5th Column in the game (and in the lore). Excluding Striga every instance of being involved with the Council on the Hero side, it was orginally done with the 5th Column.
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Hmm... wonder if Axis Amerika was created when Ubelmann succeeded?
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No. Axis American is what was in the game from Issue 1 until Issue 3 when the Council took over the 5th Column in the game (and in the lore). Excluding Striga every instance of being involved with the Council on the Hero side, it was orginally done with the 5th Column.
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Uhm... I meant lore-wise. I know that Axis Amerika was in the game from i1-3 (I started in the tail end of i2), I was just thinking out loud- it's a way that having the 5th Column still so prominent fifty years after their actual usefulness ended (as an infiltration unit in WWII) makes some kind of sense- Ubelmann, as a Fifth Columnist, provided information that turned the tide of the war, thus gaining the Column a permanent place in the third Reich of Axis Amerika.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
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Also, Reichsmann having a "Fifth Column" log on his chest is no surprise- the old Axis Amerika map was liberally festooned with Fifth Column banners, which actually makes some sense- you're in the alternate Paragon City, and the timeline appears to have diverged during WWII, when the Column was active in the States. Hmm... wonder if Axis Amerika was created when Ubelmann succeeded?
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Ubelmann lived in a time when Statesman existed.
The divergence between Axis Amerika Earth and Prime Earth is Marcus Cole, not Ubelmann. Ubelmann would have had to do something TO Marcus Cole to turn him into Reichsman, and I just don't see him having that kind of influence.
Another thing bothering me about this whole incident is WHERE THE HELL ARE THE COUNCIL!?
Why isn't Requiem getting super-ticked that Reichsman just showed up out of nowhere and absconded with his private army? All of his plans have been thrown into utter and complete disarray and he's done NOTHING!
Yes, I know Positron has arrested him... I would suppose as we start battling with Reichsman in Boomtown, he's still trying to get the Zig's proverbial "revolving door" to spin. However, at some point, I would think there would be some form of massive reaction from the Council. The Fifth Column and the Council have interwoven histories, and I really don't see the Center standing idly by as this lunatic rushes in and jeopardizes everything he's worked for, nor do I see Nosferatu reacting kindly to "Schadenfreude" trying to take his place.
There are a LOT of ramifications to this story, but what we have is a cliched "Stop the ridiculously supercharged bad guy" motif. His supercharging isn't even adequately explained (which we're still debating here)!
And what is with the Arch Villains in the last mission of the Kahn TF?
Nemesis is understandably insulted because Reichsman is utilizing his grand power like a club. Frankly, I'm surprised he even helps him fight us in that battle. You have one megalomaniac supporting another, and he's hardly intimidated into doing it (Nemesis isn't intimidated by an entire WORLD of super-beings thirsting for his blood, why would Reichsman be any different?).
Countess Crey, Vanessa DeVore... They strike me as tossed in because they're "underused." Why would Reichsman even consider them as necessary? He could always nationalize Crey Corporation (with the Countess being "disappeared" into her own Paragon Protectors), and there are only a few reasons I can think of as to why he would want Vanessa around (the most dignified is that he wants to use her to combat psychics like Sister Psyche and Kalinda; the other reasons deal more with her physical "assets").
And Gyrfalcon? Who is that guy? On the same note, who's Slinger (Recluse Strike Force)? The Malta Group's biggest strength has been their anonymity and the fact that we have no way of figuring out who they are/were because they've got their fingers in every aspect of the government and the law-supporting agencies. However, Gyrfalcon's the only one in that group who makes at least some sense as to his presence in that battle. I can see the Malta Group trying to gain influence in the Reichsman-led Fifth Column.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
ZOMBIE MAN, YOU LIED, I CRIED!
We did the part on Redside, I was so stoked for the Axis America Troops with the evil masks of awesome
It was still council faces & what not.....
JJ
I delete more 50s, then you'll ever have.
http://www.pandora.com/people/jjdemon
The 5th Column Strike Force (aka Barracuda Strike Force) is now very fixed.
When you go to Axis America dimension, the troops are Axis America and not the 5th Column (thanks, Devs!).
The MM click power works. Reichsmann didn't once go into Unbreakable mode (thanks, Devs!).
And the SF is now worth 30 Merits (thanks, Devs!).
Speeding Through New DA Repeatables || Spreadsheet o' Enhancements || Zombie Skins: better skins for these forums || Guide to Guides