Start concept

[azato]

i was able to get my gaming group (whom I am new to) to be willing to play a Champions campaign. This genre is not my strong suit (like I own many suits). I am trying to come up with the background for the game and the reasons for super powers. Feel free to comment, shred and correct. This is general outline, stuff that came into my head. Details to follow. I wrote this in a hurry so it may not be completly coherent.


1. Mutations have always been with us. People who are outliers have been in existence throughout human existence. Sometimes they became folk heroes, or perhaps, in the minds of Pure Strain Humans, divine or demonic creatures.

2. In the past the mutation rate was very very low, at least the kinds the produce powers or significant physical or biological changes. The power level of these beings were relatively low.

3. In the 1700s a group of mutants formed a secret society with the intent to protect themselves and perhaps form a better world for their kind.

4. In the 1800's (specific information will be filled in here) they became part of the core group of British scientists experimenting with vaccinations. They were able to come up with a "vaccine" capable of increasing the mutation rate within humans. It either worked or it didn't with changes taking place years or decades after inoculations.

5. This group started funding an pharmaceutical company the produced vaccinations (the normal kind) as well as mixing the mutagen into the normal vaccines.

6. In 1948, xx becomes a influential member of the World Health Organization and was able to take the vaccines world wide.

7. In the sixties through the seventies the groups scientists made significant advances in the mutagen. While it did not increase the percentage of the population it would affect, it did increase the potency of those it did.

8. In the thirties various governments noticed the increase of mutations and attemped, through reverse engineering, of duplicating the process. They had no idea as to the root cause.

9. In the late 70's the scheme finally came to light. The governments stopped the distribution of vaccines, the society was able to destroy most of the mutagens and its core people remain at large. THis information was kept from the general public.

10. Later forms of the vaccine allows the population to carry and pass on the mutant gene, though it may not manifest itself

11. In the late 90's a vaccine was discovered by the government that will counter act the mutagen found in humans who have not manifest itself. A programme is started to cure those who had innoculations. THis is done secretly, like being under the guise of a flu vaccine.

12. In the late 70's a powerful group with govermental connections is created as the result of the exposed plot to turn the world into mutants. This group gains in power as the years go by.

[azato]

REVISION #1

1. Mutations that produce extraordinary results in humans has been evident for thousands of years. The degree or consistency of the mutations has been random. It would appear that any human had the potential to develop some form of power or physical change. Most often those possessing such differences hid their abilities to better fit into human society. Sometimes they hid themselves altogether, feeling alienation from humanity. But some embraced the changes wrought within their bodies and changed the course of history. These creatures became the folk heroes, the angels and the demons of legend..

2. In nature the super mutation occurs very rarely. So infrequent that it often goes unnoticed, at least the kinds the produce powers or significant physical or biological changes. There have been times and places, for unexplained reasons, where larger percentages or even a small group of people will develop a super mutation.

3. Throughout history, mutants often formed groups for protection and for social interaction. These groups were generally informal in nature and meant to provide a feeling of safety and security for those who exhibited powers. In the early 1600s a group of European super mutants formed a secret society, The Red Alliance, with the intent to promote the welfare of mutant kind through the manipulation of society and governments. The remained rather ineffectual in the sense that they were not able to directly make the changes to usher in the utopia they sought. They did, however, provide the organization framework and the vision for what was to come next.

4. In the 1790’s John Paxton, a member of the Red Alliance, worked with the celebrated Edward Jenner the “discoverer” of immunization. While Paxton did not invent the vaccination itself, he did create the process to mass produce vaccines. Understanding the benefits that this provides the world, Paxton was glad to aid humanity. But it was not only for only altruistic reasons that he provides the intellectual support for this movement. He had the foresight to understand that this was a means to change the world that the Red Alliance had been looking for. While he did not understand the how, he did clearly see this as the vehicle. He convinced the Alliance to fund his research (Paxton Inc., and later Paxton Labs) and to purchase a pharmaceutical company (Prometheus) to supply immunization ingredients.

5. In 1887, Paxton Inc., came across the breakthrough they were looking for. They found a chemical that when given to a human increased the odds of a super mutation. While the percentage of the population demonstrating such abilities was still quite low, the increase of the rate did not go unnoticed.

6. In the 1930’s and 40’s the major nations of the world became both concerned and fascinated with the occurrences of beings exhibiting extraordinary powers. They never suspected the cause for the increase of super mutations and attributed the increase to evolution. In the name of science and perceived self-preservation, the major countries of the world attempted to create their own super mutants. This, unfortunately often involved hideous forms of reverse engineering. In trying to produce super soldiers, there were many, many mistakes, every one tragic. There were however some successes. No nation was able to fully understand what caused the changes even though, in certain circumstances, they were able to produce similar results. While super mutations were created, the cost was high. The ‘casualty’ rate was high even among those whom the experiments were successful. Physical and mental disorders were common, even in those who received no “special” powers or abilities. The number of failures to get to one success was staggering and even the success were not without problem.
While all major nations performed research, none did with such ambition as the Germans and the Russians. Because of their callousness and desire to supersede the West, the Soviet Union carried out the experimental programs well into the 1990’s. The West was able to come up with a more stable formula, but the cost to produce, the time to activate the mutagens in the subject and the randomness of the outcome led them to largely give up any large scale program.
During this time frame, Prometheus, and members of the Scarlet Alliance invested in laboratories at various universities and purchased other smaller pharmaceutical companies. The purpose was to not only help carry on research, but a way to provide continuous supply in case of discovery.

6. In 1948, John Drover, important member of the Scarlet Alliance gains a chair in the newly formed World Health Organization. The program of “vaccinating” the world is performed with greater efficiency.

7. In the sixties through the seventies Paxton Labs and associate labs made significant advances in improving mutagen. Again, it increased the percentage of people affected and increased the potency of some of the mutations. While it did not increase the percentage of the population it would affect, it did increase the potency of those it did.

9. In the late 70's the scheme finally came to light. Realizing the sensitivity of this information, the panic it would cause the top agencies decided to keep this a secret. They governments stopped the distribution of vaccines shut Paxton Labs was shut down under false pretenses. Prometheus was investigated the IRS arrested many top officials for “tax evasion”. While this was a major setback for the Red Alliance, they were not unprepared for this moment. By this point, the vaccine mutagen not only increased the chances of the person receiving the inoculation to receive the super mutation, but it also increased the odds of the offspring developing the mutation.

10. In reaction to the discovered plot, a para-government agency, the Institute for Human Advancement was formed with the purpose to research the mutagen and to determine a method for counteracting the vaccinations. It was not until the late 1990’s that a “cure” was discovered that would remove the mutagen from an unchanged human. The cost and difficulties in producing the “vaccine” in large quantities was not possible until the sciences became more advanced. In the early 21st century, the anti-mutagen vaccination was proven safe and was hidden within the guise of a chick pox vaccine. The same method for spreading the mutagens now became the method for “curing” it.

[ghost-angel]

That's a pretty interesting backstory actually. I kind of like it. Will the campaign have a plot focus (or underlying plot) on the conspiracy behind the cause and cure then?

[azato]

There is some other factors I plan to introduce, which I will add later...namely I plan to destroy Detroit via some super villain in 1999. This will be a juncture with possibilities head in various directions. One could be a hunt the mutants campaign. Another may be governmental draconian measures. Another may be the world rallying around super heroes. In the back of my mind I would like to have the human/mutant tension increase until in the future (say 2025) the mutagens+nuclear war+time= Gamma World

I plan to start the game in the 1980's and the characters will be completely ignorant of the conspiracy. Over time things will happen that may not make sense to them until much later. I also plan for the heroes to witness the start or at least the beginnings of some super villans.




That's a pretty interesting backstory actually. I kind of like it. Will the campaign have a plot focus (or underlying plot) on the conspiracy behind the cause and cure then?