In development: pure OC superhero game
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So at six pages and counting, I've run out of space for all the ETAs on this thing. I'm also thinking this is gone from interest check to 'I think I'm actually developing this thing'. So, here's the current status:
It's going to be modern day or near future. Big metropolis in a fictional new offshoot off of the Washington state coast, a made up county that stretches out into the Pacific in a wing-shape. In it is the big city that is the main setting for the game. There's also going to be a new fictional mountain range and stuff because Pacific Northwest, but I'll figure out those details later.
The city will have neighborhoods, but not with any hard limit as to who can play what where - more simply realistic, like how any big city's downtown will have a different feel from the harbor area, etc. It will have a grid with rooms etc, though I haven't yet decided on the actual layout I want. I think that's still for later.
There's going to be a few permanent pocket dimensions as well, one of which goes into a noir-ish 1940s little alternative reality of the big city. The city (maybe the world? undecided) also has temporary pocket dimensions/gateways open up now and then, causing havoc and mayhem or miraculous goodness or just weirdness.
Outside of that small piece of the planet, Earth itself is the equivalent of Australia as far as other aliens are concerned. Massive cred to @Flitcraft for this idea. It's a place used as a dumping ground by various stellar polities. They drop criminals and wannabe Napoleons and various undesirables here, with the understanding that the few that aren't killed by the native species (i.e, humans) still won't be able to get off the backwater piece of rock. I am debating if there might or might not still be the equivalent of local 'space cops' touring the area on a regular basis to make sure there's no equivalent of life boats gunning for Saturn or such.
I am going to take the time today and tomorrow and really dig into ICONS. I'm currently looking between it ( this ICONS to be specific since there's multiples: https://greenroninstore.com/products/icons-superpowered-roleplaying-the-assembled-edition ) and good ol' M&M3E.
As far as character concepts go, power origins etc will be up to the players, but I will offer some pre-made options that should also help foster RP hooks. There's an evil corporation out there that likes to try and create mutants for them to control, super villains to like to create robots/summon elsedimensional or mystical beings etc, an unknown genetic strain that sometimes becomes dominant and changes the human into an Advanced Human, the destined wielder of the Force of Blah, etc, etc. Probably somewhere along the lines of five to seven or so more common sources.
Map:
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@Kay Interest checked! I would prefer present, near future, or cyberpunk future (or even Mass Effect-esque), but whatever--OCs are great!
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Pure OC is cool; 30-40's is not a setting I'm even remotely interested in.
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@lemon-fox I could do modern day with a slight alternative reality/cyberpunkish twist to allow for things like SCIENCE! and such, depending on the exact setting I end up with. I usually like d) all of the above when faced with multiple choices.
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I think I'm like the rest so far. Superhero OCs are good. 30-40s not much of a draw. Bonus being able to punch Nazis?
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@Lemon-Fox @ixokai @WildBaboons - I appreciate the feedback! So so far, three out of three say yay OC eh/boo to 30s/40s. Would you guys be willing to expand a bit more? I.e if it's historical in general that's bleh or that particular part of history. It'll be helpful as things continue to percolate in my brain.
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@kay Its not historical in general-- I help run Marvel:1963-- but like... Practically every scene I play on m63, I have to google something to figure out how valid it is in the 60's. That'd be even worse in the 30's. I just can't as a person relate to life there.
But hey, I'm playing on a 14th century game, but I've read a couple books on life in Venice in that era, and I've seen enough medieval/Renaissance movies/shows that I can fake those eras.
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Depending on execution*** I'd be very interested in something like this. I regret missing out on Crucible City in its day and something similar seems like it could extremely welcome.
***Depending on execution is always the caveat. I'm cool with historical games but I think there's a higher degree of difficulty/automatic alienation for some players, so I'd ask 'Why 30s/40s?'
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@ixokai So you'd just prefer to play in something where you don't have to research before playing to feel comfortable, I can understand that! Thank you for the feedback, I'll add it to my pros and cons list.
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@three-eyed-crow Absolutely. I know I've seen some set ups where the basic theme and setting where once that had me drooling, but the actual execution made me run for the hills, so definitely agree. Why 30s/40s is because I personally love those settings for stories. I watch movies from those eras on a regular basis, and noir and pulp are in my top three favorite genres overall. But it's not a must have, hence the interest check. Plus depending on the game I could always have a sub section/part of the city or something that has that vibe.
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I would be interested, though I'm not really playing anywhere these days, so I can't promise a 'would definitely show up' here. (In other words, weigh anything I say with that in mind.)
I'm down with the era stated, but I'd be fine with modern day as well. 20s would be fine, too, for me -- Prohibition-era Superheroes vs. Gangsters and supervillain gangsters could be kinda neat, at least in my head.
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Not sure how much it helps but depending I could be convinced to loan you what I've already got for mine. No doubt you'd be best off stripping out our systems specific for wild talents and switching over to the bog standard system of Advantages Abilities Powers and flaws, since Wild Talent is NOT for everyone, but hey depending on how the rest of staff feels it would at least be a setup that could get you started. I'd love to play on an OC only 1920-40's game. Love me some mobsters.
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I would play the hell out of a pure OC super hero game, no matter what system it used, so long as it wasn't pure consent.
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Speaking of 20's-40's mobsters... just gonna leave this here.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1582756696/capers-rpg
Have no idea about it or the people behind it but it came up on my kickstarter feed and seemed timely to the discussion.
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The big thing that has always kept me away from a lot of superhero MUs is that I'm just not interested in playing as Batman or other already established heroes, but an OC of my creation? I'm totally down for that, and era doesn't bother me, as long as I get to make a badass superhero lady (Boob window optional)
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Definitely prefer modern or somewhat futuristic.
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If you use M&M and I can finally play my mute librarian with shadow powers, I'm in.
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Have you looked into City of Mist? I see ads for it on my Facebook page all the time, and I was always a bit curious about how well it might work.
I'd be interested in assisting from an ideas/system perspective.
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Are there so many OC-only superhero places set in a modern setting that we need ones set in cyberpunk or noir 30s settings to add flavor? Honest question here, because I really can't think of any, but also I'm hardly paying attention.
Mutants and Masterminds. Metropolitan setting. No built in 'all superpowers come from <a thing>' nonsense which limits character concepts.
Once that's successful and people yearn for more, then open up an old west superheroes game or a superheroes game that takes place during the crusades. Or your really high concept gothic horror superhero game where the concept is that it's a comic book being written by Byron, Shelley, Godwin and Polidori during the summer of 1816. Mutants & Masterminds: Modern Prometheans.
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afk to make a game
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@kay said in Interest check: pure OC superhero game:
So you'd just prefer to play in something where you don't have to research before playing to feel comfortable
I don't think that's really what @ixokai was saying. Any historical setting is going to need some amount of research if you take it seriously. But there's a difference between the occasional need to look something up and lacking a basic comfort level with everyday life in that timeframe. Most folks have a pretty solid foundational understanding for the 20's (gangsters and flappers) and the 40's (WWII), but the 30's aren't very well-represented in popular culture.
If that's your beloved time period, go for it. But just be aware that it's probably going to be an obstacle for some (many?) folks.