Use the news

[Vanguard00]

Someone else started a thread on timelines, and a mention was made of using real-world events. To some extent the "canon" CU timeline does this, but in what other ways have you taken real world events and made them into campaign-specific events?

I'll provide two examples:

First, on 9/11/2001, Eurostar attacked the downtown New York area, causing massive damage. At the same time, Grond (spurred on by armored mercenaries) led an attack on the Pentagon (he missed the White House, *shrug* ). Other attacks were launched with various success/failure around the United States.

Eurostar was finally driven off, but not before they collapsed the WTC towers to cover their escape.

Second example (not-yet-but-soon-to-be used): that tsunami...what if it heralded something else? What if something or someone was coming up from someplace deep? Mole people? A sleeping dragon only recently awakened? Was Dr. Destroyer's newest base accidentally destroyed?

See the idea I'm goin' for? Any other ideas?

[stmichaeldet]

A while back I saw a report on the theft of the hand holding the keys to Heaven from a statue of St. Peter at the Vatican. That became the tip of the iceberg for a long-range plot where a major mystical/extradimensional baddie named Vastator is attempting to undermine and eventually control Earth's dimension by acquiring physical representations of powerful symbols.

- St. Michael

[Mike W]

I tend to keep my campaigns set at least six months behind the actual time so that if something happens, I can work it in. I almost never do though. But it does give me a chance to work comic book "news' in if I like it.

[CBikle]

It always irritates me a little when I read posts about GMs incorporating 9-11
into their game worlds as a scenario/plot element.

I'm not one of those overly sensitive types, but it always seems crass to me.

Guess it's still too soon.

[zornwil]

To me, it seemed "necessary" in keeping some corresponding events and handling the way "my" world relates to this one. It seemed to go okay.

[Mike W]

Part of the problem comes in how "real" the world actually is. Most comic book worlds are loosely based on the real one. But the real life politicians are removed. Still, that doesn't mean that art(in whatever form) doesn't react to real life. I can see leaving 9-11 in the time line, but I don't know as I would rework the reasons for it. Although, you do have to wonder if the second plane would have hit in a city full of superheroes. Aside from that though, it's easier to use 9-11 as a "jumping off point" where 9-11 happens as it really did, and then the reaction to it is modified somewhat by the differences in the two worlds.

[devlin1]

With all this stuff lately about Choicepoint (a huge consumer data broker spawned from Equifax) being involved in a huge fraud/identity theft scandal, I keep thinking there's a story angle in there, but what that angle is isn't coming to me. One obvious hook is that Choicepoint is actually a front for some criminal bent on uncovering every super's secret ID, then selling the information off piecemeal to the highest bidder. However, I'm convinced there's something more there that hasn't occurred to me. Anyone have any thoughts?

[Mike W]

Have a "super hacker" type make it look like some technological hero was behind it. Or maybe an Avengers/JLA style group that has lots of uber computers. Eventually the good guys should be proved innocent, but in the mean time they have to defend themselves from their charges...and deal with having their computers confiscated since they would now be evidence. Even worse, the contents could be subject to Freedom of Information Act inquiry based on them now being part of a court case and therefore potentially a "public" record. Can you imagine what happens if the entire databanks of the Avengers or JLA were suddenly made available on the internet?

[Big Willy]

With all this stuff lately about Choicepoint (a huge consumer data broker spawned from Equifax) being involved in a huge fraud/identity theft scandal, I keep thinking there's a story angle in there, but what that angle is isn't coming to me.

I haven't heard anything about this - any details?

But as a game element, it spells alien invasion to me...

[Supreme Serpent]

Way back, when Eastern Europe was collapsing/changing, I ran a few scenarios there, w/heroes stopping villains from taking advantage of the situation.

I had Deathstroke mind control the various candidates during the California recall election. Fun seeing the hero team pile into Ahnold's Hummer to rush to the rescue of Gary Coleman and Larry Flynt. Meanwhile, another villain was running a campaign to try to get himself elected.

Last year, I had an group of extra-dimensional Soviets attack the Oscars.

I've had heroes support efforts to put out large real-life wildfires, and similar things.

Various origins tied to real-life events. Hiroshima, Chernobyl, etc. One of my current characters was prompted to become a hero due to 9-11, and the inability of the gov't/available heroes to stop it.

[Vanguard00]

It always irritates me a little when I read posts about GMs incorporating 9-11
into their game worlds as a scenario/plot element.

I'm not one of those overly sensitive types, but it always seems crass to me.

Guess it's still too soon.

Thanks for the input.

[JohnTaber]

Hi Vanguard: I've done this in other genres as well. If you run out of idea grab the newspapaer and pick out three random stories. Make an adventure out of it! Works great!

[Vanguard00]

Hi Vanguard: I've done this in other genres as well. If you run out of idea grab the newspapaer and pick out three random stories. Make an adventure out of it! Works great!

I do that sort of thing anyway. In fact, I think my first time as GM was based on news items. I was just curious as to what sort of news items others had incorporated into their campaigns.

[zornwil]

Thanks for the input.

Now now, a little dissension from a main topic is okay, and CKBible didn't (at least from my perception) try to really argue or make a federal case out of it. While I don't agree with him and I think one has to post a dissenting note in a thread with restraint, I know on occassion I've dropped into a thread to mention I really didn't agree with the point of the thread if I felt that strongly.

BTW, it's a good topic, Vanguard00.

[CBikle]

Thanks for the input.

Well, sorry that wasn't the reply you were looking for (the next post will
probably be closer to what you want).

Incorporating catastrophic events like 9-11 and the tsunami as source material for an RPG can be very risky, especially since ramifications from both are still ongoing. I think it's still too early for both.

Every RPG group is different, but for superhero games, nothing breaks apart suspension of disbelief faster than blending in real world tragedy.