From Panel To Play: Bob, Agent Of Hydra

CP45 Bob, Agent Of Hydra

In this installment of From Panel to Play, we’re taking a look at a guy who just wants a gig that offers a dental plan. From the ranks of Hydra to Agency X, it’s Hydra Bob!

Bob Dobalina was just a regular guy looking for a job. On the urging of his wife, Allison, Bob joined the Hydra organization for a chance at steady work and decent benefits—only to learn Hydra doesn’t cover dental. He would have remained with Hydra and worked on his blog if it weren’t for the interference of the Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool. Deadpool forced Bob to join him on one “exciting” “adventure” after another, making the unfortunate Bob his pet… erm, minion.

To create the miniature for Hydra Bob, well, first take a regular Hydra agent in a form-fitting bodysuit with bandoliers and useful pouches. Make sure that he’s got an upbeat, positive attitude. (It’s the only way to survive hanging out with Deadpool for long). Then, give it a cannon. Not just any cannon. A big one. Cartoonishly big. “Looks like it was pulled from the fantasies of a military’s head of R&D” big. Then, just for fun, toss in a variant head with a chef’s hat to wear while he makes chimichangas and tacos in Deadpool’s truck.

Bob is there to support his pal Deadpool when he isn’t spooning delicious adobada into warm tortillas. His Stamina and defenses are what you’d expect from a guy who performs no exercise and uses Hydra evasive strategy 423 (Hide behind the person in front of you).

What Bob lacks in physical prowess, however, he compensates for with a ludicrous amount of firepower. That big launcher on his shoulder isn’t just for show. When he touches it off, the projectile detonates in a glorious blast of Excessive Violence.

Excessive Violence is one of Bob’s attack powers and is really worth talking about. With a Range of 4, Bob hits his target with an explosive Strength 9 physical attack. Quite literally explosive: before dealing damage, Excessive Violence causes 2 damage to everyone else within the vicinity of his target. Poor Bob isn’t immune to Newton’s Third Law, though. The shot also hurls Bob back and can damage him. How much Power does this attack cost, some of you might be asking. Well, the answer is zero. Zilch.

Sort of.

See, the big cannon needs to be loaded before Bob can fire it. He has Loaded tokens to indicate when he’s ready to fire, and thanks to the innate superpower Muy Caliente he starts the game with a single Loaded token. Getting another one isn’t cheap and costs an action and 8 Power via the active superpower Make it Spicy, Bob! Hydra Bob scurries off to grab another explosive from his cache—probably in the taco truck—and gains another Loaded token.

You’d expect that Hydra Bob would be a squishy character that is easy to knock out of the fight, and you’d be right, mostly. But living as Deadpool’s little buddy for long requires a special kind of person. A person who can take constant punishment and keep on going. A type of person you look at and have to ask: he’s alive… But How!? Needless to say, Bob has some exciting powers to make up for his innate fragility.

You’ll have to wait to check them out, though, because we’re out of time for today. Don’t forget to pre-order your Deadpool & Bob, Agent of Hydra Character Pack at your local gaming store or on our webstore. We can’t wait for Bob, Agent of Hydra to hit tables in Marvel: Crisis Protocol, just like we can’t wait to take a look at even more characters who make the jump From Panel to Play. Catch you on the next one!

Until then, this is Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off.