In the new version of the store we now sell comic books and trade paperback collections of comics.
I finally saw this thinbg called NEW FRONTIER by DC Comics. This is a "BIG" story arc that tries to show the heroes we know integrated somnehow with the political events between World War II anmd the early 1070s. The scenes with Senate hearings and HUAC reminded of something else - the oild I.S.T. setting for GURPS 3rd edition.
That setting was written up more that 14 years ago and also tried to do an alternate timeline that triued to show Sup[erheroes ('metahumans') in the real world and how our politics and historical figures and events might have turned oyt differently. The timeline 'paused' in 1991 with the capture of Saddam Hussein by a teleporting superhero. That campaign world also featured the United Nations as a very strong group with superhero teams acting as their police force or U.N. p[eacekeepers.
HERO system , I think has something similar called UNTIL.
Has anyone done a longterm Superheros RPG campaign using one of those settings?
Could the NEW FRONTIERS backstory work for a new RPG if you're willing to throw out the 1970s to present continuity of DC as we know it ?
At one time I thought about doing a Wold Newton SUPERS game - just limiting myself to whatthat website said was plausible. That way my player could be the Heros of the mid '80s to the present. In the Wold Newton version of thinks Clark Kent/Superman retired sometime in the later 50s/early 60s and Kent is now editor of the Daily Planet../..he got married to Lois Lane. The original BATMAN, BruceWayne either died or retire sometime in the 1960s - and Dick Grasyson took over as the Batman for awhile.
- Ed C.
Quote from: KoltarI
Has anyone done a longterm Superheros RPG campaign using one of those settings?
My personal homebrew that I ran three times in the past 20 years using Champions is based on real world events. Basically I really like Marvel's New Universe in the mid 80's and made my own version and kept it updated since.
Basically the same people got elected, famous, etc at the same time, except for many there was a meta human twist. My player's favorite was the Clinton impeachment caused by President Clinton messing around with a government meta human named Sonique. As it turns out she was mind controlling him but as it turned out Clinton gave the opportunity on his own by initiating the affair.
9-11 in my timeline was caused by four muslim meta humans slamming airliners into the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon. The fourth was foiled by a hero onboard but in the ensuing fight the plane spun out of control and crashed in PA.
The War of Terror is considerably darker with a lot of meta human on meta human fights in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rob Conley
P.S. The initial premise of the game that the world was seeded with a virus that caused the emergence of super heroes. The virus was seeded because Earth was in a sector of space controlled by a Star Trek style federation. This federation is losing it's war with a nasty race (like Klingons crossed with Kafers) and had to bug out of the sector. Well one guy wanted to give the protected planets a chance (like us) and seeded them with a virus to cause meta human abilities to appear. This wasn't common knowledge it was only in recent years that a virus has been identified (the third campaign was about its discovery).
The idea was that in 20 years the invaders would reach Earth's regions. Interestingly I started this in the winter of 87-88. It now 20 years later.
I've run I.S.T games in the past (and played in them once upon a blue moon)
As well as using my own settings to run various groups, albeit usually I go with non-sponsored but well regarded teams (they earn their respect, mostly because the Sterling Shield super-cop program is only "barely" able to help against the worst threats. )
I was working on my own UN sponsered team (albeit they're more for dealing with serious crisis than fighting supervillains and such--)
SPECTRE
Super Powered Emissaries for Combating Terrorism and Rescue Emergencies
(eh maybe :D)
Quote from: KoltarHas anyone done a longterm Superheros RPG campaign using one of those settings?
Supers Inc is very close to what you have described. A fundamental issue I believe you need to address in this type of setting is the "Superman" syndrome. This is what I call it when the players look at a game, say "This is a supers game" and then come to the conclusion "I want to play Superman". Any form of "realistic" real world supers setting does not work with Superman. He would be ridiculously overpowered and no one else would be needed.
So, with Supers Inc I decided to say the super powers were really more of psychic power. Invulnerability is highly limited and merely a form of telekenesis used like a force shield. Super speed is not the speed of light. Most telling, people get tired when they use their powers, run down and need to rest. Also, "Super heroes" were body armor because bullets hurt and people die.
Quote from: KoltarCould the NEW FRONTIERS backstory work for a new RPG if you're willing to throw out the 1970s to present continuity of DC as we know it ?
At one time I thought about doing a Wold Newton SUPERS game - just limiting myself to whatthat website said was plausible. That way my player could be the Heros of the mid '80s to the present. In the Wold Newton version of thinks Clark Kent/Superman retired sometime in the later 50s/early 60s and Kent is now editor of the Daily Planet../..he got married to Lois Lane. The original BATMAN, BruceWayne either died or retire sometime in the 1960s - and Dick Grasyson took over as the Batman for awhile.
- Ed C.
Honestly, I am not sure (am not familiar) with what you are saying but let me say, IMO, traditional comic characters would alter the world so incredibly and fundamentally that you would not recognize it. A superman based int he real world would be working for the highest bidder, recruited for black ops or somehow be on the military's payroll. More fundamentally, people without powers would be at the mercy of even sloppy criminals with super powers...those that escape dissection in a lab (either government or corporate). Money would rapidly devalue, economies fail, government's destabilize as no secrets were possible nor security possible. How do you stop a guy that walks through walls from assassinating a state head? I mean practically. Yes, you have your super brain come up with a counter intangibility field but he has to move at some point. It would mean he could drop a bomb inside the material of a car that will be transporting the president in an hour. Radical terrorists? Ouch.
O.k. so to put it in perspective, IMO, I believe you would need to moderate those powers. Take them down a notch or twenty. Then you could have a reasonable alt history setup.
Now, if you make some pretty potent assumptions you could make it work as a story (well, you can make anything work as a story) but as a game setting, much more difficult.
Bill
In Megapolis, superheroes must register with the government-- but is not that ridiculous "you must now be government slaves and give us your secret identities or we'll arrest your families" thing that Marvel did.
You are not required to participate if you don't use your powers for crime-fighting. So a guy who is superstrong could be an unlimited class wrestler and be fine. It is only when you want to do things like burst into a criminal's lair (without a warrant) and leave him tied up to a tree in front of the police station that you start to have problems.
The Superhero License essentially legally gives the hero police powers--and also makes them responsible to follow police procedures, i.e. obtaining warrents, etc. It also of course, makes them responsible for excessive property damage-- was it really necessary to burst through the wall, when there is a perfectly good door?
It does not require them to give up their secret ID-- instead it creates a new, seperate ID for them. So if Batman wants to testify in court-- he can without the defense objecting on the fact that there is no proof that guy in the costume is actually Batman. Similarly he could get a driver's licsense, bank account, etc, as Batman instead of having to do so as Bruce Wayne-- handy when Batman wants to get drivethru and doesn't have cash!
It does not require Superheroes to work for the government, "rat out" heroes who have refused to register, or in any way curtail their freedoms to defend the public at their own choosing. There is, however, a government superhero agency that essentially acts as "internal affairs" for superheroes-- that is called URGENT (Urban General Taskforce). URGENT makes sure that heroes are operating within the law, and goes after those that aren't. So they do hunt down some heroes-- especially shades of gray vigilantes who leave muggers maimed and tied up to streetlights-- but they don't force other heroes to work with them.