''An Element of Danger'' is an adventure published by
Mayfair Games
Mayfair Games was an American publisher of board, card, and roleplaying games that also licensed Euro-style board games to publish them in English. The company licensed worldwide English-language publishing rights to ''The Settlers of Catan'' ser ...
in 1986 for the superhero role-playing game ''
DC Heroes
''DC Heroes'' is an out-of-print superhero role-playing game set in the DC Universe and published by Mayfair Games.
Other than sharing the same licensed setting, ''DC Heroes'' is unrelated to the West End Games ''DC Universe'' or the more recent ...
'' that features several superheroes from
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
.
Plot summary
The
player characters
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
, members of the
Justice League of America
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
, learn that
Mr. Element and
Matter Master
The Matter Master is a DC Comics supervillain and a recurring foe of Hawkman. Created by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert, he first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #35 (April–May 1961).
Fictional character history
Scientist turned alchemis ...
have escaped from prison. The heroes must find and stop the two villains before they can combine their signature weapons into a weapon of mass destruction.
The players can generate their own superheroes using the rules in ''DC Heroes'', or they can use the pregenerated characters for
Firestorm
A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...
,
Firehawk,
Hawkman
Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...
, and
Hawkwoman
Hawkwoman is the name of several superheroines all owned by DC Comics and existing in that company's DC Universe. They are partners, and sometimes spouses or lovers, of the various versions of Hawkman, and share many features with the character Ha ...
.
Publication history
Mayfair Games published the superhero role-playing game ''DC Heroes'' in 1985. ''An Element of Danger'' was published the following year, a 32-page softcover book by
Steve Perrin
Stephen Herbert Perrin (January 22, 1946 – August 13, 2021) was an American game designer and technical writer/editor, best known for creating the tabletop role-playing game ''RuneQuest'' for Chaosium.
Early life and education
Perrin earned a ...
, with cartography by Jerry O'Malley and Greg Scott, and cover art by
Ed Hannigan
Ed Hannigan (born August 6, 1951) is an Americans, American comics artist, writer, and editor for both Marvel Comics and DC Comics.
Career
Ed Hannigan's first credited comics story was published in Marvel Comics' Brand licensing, licensed ''Pla ...
(sketch),
Denys Cowan
Denys B. Cowan (born January 30, 1961) is an American comics artist, television producer, media executive and one of the co-founders of Milestone Media.
Early life
Denys Cowan was first inspired by superheroes as a child from reruns of the 1950s ...
(pencil),
Bob Smith (inks), and
(color).
Reception
Pete Tamlyn reviewed ''An Element of Danger'' for ''
White Dwarf
A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes fro ...
'' #88, and was disappointed in the adventure: "Sadly, it is rather dull. I had a suspicion that Steve
errin
Norethisterone, also known as norethindrone and sold under many brand names, is a progestin medication used in birth control pills, menopausal hormone therapy, and for the treatment of gynecological disorders. The medication is available in both ...
hacked this one out in a couple of days. It is uninteresting, unexciting and has a ''deus ex machina'' ending which makes the whole thing a waste of time. Not recommended".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Element of Danger
DC Heroes adventures
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1986