Let's build Chicago 5E

[Hermit]

Okay. On another thread many expressed their love of Chicago as a setting. The City of Big Shoulders, it would seem, has quite a following. Others have already done work on their own Chicago campaigns (Hey Nato ) , and I hope they and those who know more about the real city chime in on this thread.

As a kind of group project, I want us to build Chicago for 5th Edition in a completley unauthorized with faux official status. I'd like to take what the Champion's Universe has given us and run from there. That way, anyone who comes on this site and wants a setting to run from based on a real city can just look up this old thread, and it will help them out. Thus spreading the good will towards the HERO system, and eventually leading to our domination of the World!
MWHAhAHAHAHA!

*Cough* Sorry, got carried away
If those of you who have the current Champions Universe book would turn to page 69, you'll see a brief but info full paragraph on the current state of the "Windy City" as far as super heroes goes.

In brief summary for those who don't have that lovely book (and shame on ya):
1. Chicago has one of the most active superhuman communties in the United States.
2. Despite that, there's only one team: The Peacekeepers, who are based in the top floors of the Kettrick Building.
3. For some reason, the bulk of Chicago's supers prefer to go it alone.
4. The Peacekeepers have been around for two decades. Their main enemy seems to be VIPER, and they recently lost their leader in battle with that loathed group.
5. A Peacekeeper named Dwarfstar has taken temporary leadership, and they maybe recruiting one or more members.

And I believe that's it!

We've got a lot of room to work with.

So, where should we start? Facts about the city that would affect the types of heroes there? How about we guess how the Chicago public would react to superhumans (Would they support a Hero team, compalin, both?)? What would the organizations, good and bad, be like? Where are the best places for bases/hidden lairs? How would heroes get around?

Let's build this thing

[Mightybec]

The cubbies have a pitcher that's hiding his powers (mild TK) and they still can't make it to the playoffs.

PS...GO GIANTS!

Mightybec

[Hermit]

Originally posted by Mightybec
The cubbies have a pitcher that's hiding his powers (mild TK) and they still can't make it to the playoffs.

PS...GO GIANTS!

Mightybec

You're a very bitter man...

Found this site, that might help us get inspired...

http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism/

[Mightybec]

An Irish mob would be a good edition. A fiery villain would be ironic.

[Lord Liaden]

With Chicago, it's more a matter of what would not be appropriate to it as a game setting; it has a huge multiracial population base, widely diversified economy, is a transportation and freight moving hub, has universities, museums - pretty much anything you'd expect in a large American city, including such negatives as crime and ethnic tensions. About the only thing it lacks is major connection to ancient occult sites (but I have a suggestion about that).

Because it's so archetypically big-city America, I have difficulty thinking of heroes or villains who would be singularly appropriate to it outside of stereotypes like gangsters. Perhaps someone with more first-hand familiarity could contribute to that. What occurs to me is more along the lines of potential plot elements. For example, with its proximity to Lake Michigan a nearby underwater base, hero or villain, would seem reasonable. As I understand it Chicago also has a lot of old abandoned underground freight tunnels which could be the site of bases, or perhaps hideouts for one of the hidden or refugee paranormal societies that seem to crop up in comics.

In conjunction with that, I'm not sure of the current status of the "Deep Tunnel" project, an underground network of tunnels, reservoirs, and pollution-control systems designed to hold excess storm water and sewage. Deep Tunnel, begun in 1976, is the largest municipal public-works project in the history of the United States. If the project is fully completed, it will comprise 210 km (130 mi) of tunnels, but as of the late 1990's it was suspended due to lack of funding. (Or... maybe the excavation uncovered something that the authorities didn't want discovered - or to escape.)

I was intrigued to discover that Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a Haitian trader, established the first permanent dwelling near the mouth of the Chicago River in the late 18th Century. Perhaps Point du Sable brought along some of the religious practices of the African slaves in Haiti, which might still have secret adherents today - or maybe he participated in rituals which have left a residue of occult forces behind...

[Enforcer84]

Make the characters based on Styx song titles...<Duck and cover>








No really, I have.

[Mightybec]

Originally posted by Enforcer84
Make the characters based on Styx song titles...<Duck and cover>

No really, I have.

Why not try Black Sabbath song titles?

Warpigs
Ironman
Sweetleaf
Paranoid
The Fairies Wear Boots
Electric Funeral

Mightybec

[Enforcer84]

Is Black Sabbath from Chicago?

Styx is.

[Agent X]

Originally posted by Enforcer84
Is Black Sabbath from Chicago?

Styx is.

I guess that leaves the band Boston out.

I'll think on this but I know you have to do something with the EL.

[Worldmaker]

The heroes that would be best received by the public in Chicago would be the ones that made an effort to be seen as part of the public, regardless of ethnicity... blue collar heroes who deal with the everyday as opposed to big money white collar heroes who tend to handle the larger threats.

Not that the public would turn their backs on Reed Richards in favor of Spider-Man, but the feeling would be that Spider-Man is a regular guy from the neighborhood, while Richards is part of the uptown artsy-fartsy crowd.

[allen]

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
About the only thing it lacks is major connection to ancient occult sites (but I have a suggestion about that).

none of these are ancient...

mortared into the wall of the Tribune Building are chunks of other famous buildings and sites. for some reason, this always struck me as vaguely occult.

some of the skyscrapers have vaguely gothic architecture, ie the Wrigley Building, (i can't recall the name of the school of design right now)... easy to apply the occult properties attributed to cathedrals to those buildings.

also there's a proliferation of five points on the north side... mainly where Clark Street intersects with main North-South and East-West roads, ie Clark-Broadway-Diversey. (there's another street, west of Clark, that does a similar thing -- for the life of me, i can't remember the name right now -- but it runs through Bucktown.) i've always thought if you stared long enough at a map you could find a pattern to the five points.

[winterhawk]

I am currently running my campaign in Chicago and live in the area. I've done quite a bit of research on the city and its history. Some of the details of the campaign:

Originally posted by Hermit
1. Chicago has one of the most active superhuman communties in the United States.

No problem. As with any Champs campaign, there are tons of supers floating around.

Originally posted by Hermit
2. Despite that, there's only one team: The Peacekeepers, who are based in the top floors of the Kettrick Building.

I've actually combined Ketterick and Darryl Kendrick of Kendrium fame. The Peacekeepers are headquartered in the Kendrick Building. Darryl Kendrick was the great Silver Age hero Doc Atomic (a cross between Superman and Reed Richards) who founded the Peacekeepers. He died in the Secret Crisis, but his team lives on. As Worldmaker commented, they are all 'heroes of the people' with one exception.

Originally posted by Hermit
3. For some reason, the bulk of Chicago's supers prefer to go it alone.

All of the players and several NPCs are independent heroes for one reason or another. Several NPCs are 'neighborhood heroes' and restrict themselves to operating in certain areas of the city.

Originally posted by Hermit
4. The Peacekeepers have been around for two decades. Their main enemy seems to be VIPER, and they recently lost their leader in battle with that loathed group.

VIPER and DEMON have both allied themselves with various factions of the Mafia, which is still fairly powerful in the city.

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
About the only thing it lacks is major connection to ancient occult sites (but I have a suggestion about that).

I noticed that too...so I improvised. Chicago sits atop of a dimensional weak spot that acts as a membrane, which allows many extradimensional mystical forces (especially the forces of Hell) easy access. The Old Water Tower (the only structure to survive the Great Fire) is atop an intersection of Ley Lines and is the mystic center of the city.

Enforcer: Black Sabbath is from England.

allen: That is a really cool idea...might have to steal it!

I have a Yahoo Club for the campaign with a timeline, some art, etc...Please feel free to join. I don't have stats posted in the club, but would be happy to post them here.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/heroicchicago/

[JmOz]

One idea, is that theere are really two teams, the second one is the Power Brigade is really an informal group of heroes that work togther. Essemtialy all they have is a coffy shop meating place and a type of emergincy beacon (Press the button, everyone gets a voice message on where the problem is)

[Hermit]

Good stuff so far guys. I think one thing we probably need to try to capture the "Chicago mindset". Now, while while it's wrong to generalize too much, there are advantages to having molds before you start breaking things

Worldmaker already pointed out a 'Blue Collar' preference for it's super heroes. I like that.

I saw a show where one Chicagian mentioned other towns accused Chicago of having a "Chip on its shoulder" about being the "Second City" to NYC, and (now adays) even behind L.A. etc.

I recall on the news back during and after 9-11 many folks of Chi-town were expecting to have one of their many tall buildings a target as well. They didn't seem espcially fearful (Not any more or less than the rest of us at that time) but they didn't see their own sites as any less important to America than NYC's world trade center. At least that's the impression I got.

I have heard Chicagoins love to gripe, but are fiercely devoted to their town and get defensive if someone ELSE gripes about it. Though I've heard that last about other cities' natives as well.

From this, and I'm generalizing here, it sounds like the natives of Chi-town are proud of their city, consider it the 'working joe' of America's cities, and resent it if their town gets overlooked.

This sound right Winterhawk(and any other Chicago residents)?
(Went to your site btw, interesting stuff)

[Hermit]

I have a theory about why few 'teams' form up in Chicago. This is still rough, so anyone who has further input on it is welcome to polish it up a bit.

There have been several attempts to form up organized super-hero teams in the Chicago through it's history. Up till 1979 or so, Always, ALWAYS something would eventually go wrong by the third year for any Chicago team that tried. The team would be torn apart by internal troubles, or have to move away from Chicago to another town for personal reasons, get swallowed by an extra dimensional vortex..or ... uhm well, die.

While's it's said criminals are a 'superstitious and cowardly lot' ; superheroes, while brave, can be a bit superstitious themselves. Rumors of a "curse" on all super hero teams in Chicago began to arise. Independent super heroes were more reluctant to join forces on a permanent basis because of this, I mean, better safe than sorry. There is no evidence that there really IS a curse, at least if you ask any mystic who's studied the darn thing, but the tale has taken a life of it's own.

Only one team, the Peacekeepers has really managed to evade "the curse". Though, it is pointed out that every three years, something tragic hits them (This maybe an exageration).

Other 'not quite a team' teams are out there, on and off, staying loose and informal, either for their own reasons, or to avoid risking 'the curse' (thus making JmOz's idea of a more relaxed informal second team even have another reason for being so).

What do you all think?