WWYCD: Culture Shock

[Zed-F]

At the end of one story arc, the GM announces he's planning a change of pace for the next story arc, which should last 3-4 sessions or so and then get back to your usual fare.

The next session, your characters find themselves (for whatever reason) taking an unexpected interdimensional trip to MarvelMutantParanoiaLand. Here, the public and law enforcement is hostile to any meta, regardless of SFX, heroic or not. Your characters have reason to believe they will be rescued / transported back eventually, but it will take some indeterminate amount of time on the order of weeks or months before it happens -- enough time that they have to get used to living there, but not so much time that they can really effect sweeping global changes. Oh, and it turns out (through no fault of their own) that a significantly powerful interdimensional baddie got transported to MarvelMutantParanoiaLand with them, and is not very happy about it...

WWYCD? Hole up and wait it out? Try to save the world from the interdimensional baddie? Even though the very people they might try to help will likely try to get them captured or killed? Even considering that they've been hunting down metas for years, and thus they stand a reasonable chance to succeed? How will the scenario play out?

[OddHat]

Any of my characters: Try to protect the innocent. Avoid the badly written and clearly villainous police. Try to leave a few seeds of change behind if they can.

[Metaphysician]

Microman II: This would be rather painful for him and the New Sentinels. Most of us are very upbeat and upright. The idea that an entire planet full of people could be so psychotically ungrateful would be jarring. Thankfully, we have mobility resources that should keep us free and active, barring direct intervention by Reed Richards or the Sentry. So, the dimensional critter still gets fought. Horus-Re and Starguard will probably try and give some inspiring speeches, but this is Marvel. It won't work.

Hermes: While Hermes isn't as tied into the silver age tone as Microman, this would be almost as bad. He believes that humans, while not fundamentally good, have the potential for goodness, and the willingness to embrace an inspiring example. Whereas, this is Marvel, where this is not the case.

Again, mobility and stealth is covered, so they probably aren't going to track us down, once we get acclimated, and we've been exposed to hostile future worlds before. Depending on who came through with us, though, there may not be anything we could do about it, if the locals are unwilling or unable to help. . .

[Zed-F]

The idea that an entire planet full of people could be so psychotically ungrateful would be jarring.

You can assume that there is an excuse of some sort, such as unacceptable amounts of collateral damage from superbattles in the past. Nevertheless, the question of whether unilateral suppression of any potentially dangerous meta is a reasonable response to such remains for you to decide.

Depending on who came through with us, though, there may not be anything we could do about it, if the locals are unwilling or unable to help.

You can assume that the locals will try to stop the interdimensional baddie once they find out about it. It's unclear that they have the wherewithal to be able to do so, however. And it seems unlikely that they will appreciate help unless it becomes painfully clear that the PCs' help is desperately needed... and even then, once the threat is vanquished, it seems likely they'll soon revert to their previous mistrustful ways.

[Zed-F]

Try to protect the innocent.

The definition of innocent gets a little bit blurry when it could be argued that most of the populace of the world is complicit in something akin to ethnic cleansing.

[Vondy]

I'd get awefully busy on gaming day for the next few weeks.

I find marvel mutant paranioa land tedious, cumbersome, and fundamentally without merit. Its tired, cliched and overdone at this point; there is nothing left of the horse's corpse to beat; and I gave up on marvel a long time ago. And the main reason I gave up on marvel was mutant paranoia, mutant angst, mutant title spam, and dystopic dark futures. Marvel has characters I like. The problem is, they don't have editors I like, and haven't for about a decade.

I would use the Power Absent (TM) until the "something different" was over and done with.

[OddHat]

The definition of innocent gets a little bit blurry when it could be argued that most of the populace of the world is complicit in something akin to ethnic cleansing.

Of course. It's similar dropping the heroes in Nazi Germany without the traditional excuse that only the leaders were evil. The players still have no choice but to save lives and protect the innocent; that's what being a Hero is all about.

I'd get awefully busy on gaming day for the next few weeks.

I find marvel mutant paranioa land tedious, cumbersome, and fundamentally without merit. Its tired, cliched and overdone at this point; there is nothing left of the horse's corpse to beat; and I gave up on marvel a long time ago. And the main reason I gave up on marvel was mutant paranoia, mutant angst, mutant title spam, and dystopic dark futures. Marvel has characters I like. The problem is, they don't have editors I like, and haven't for about a decade.

I would use the Power Absent (TM) until the "something different" was over and done with.

Agreed with every word.

[wcw43921]

SOP for any sojurn to an alternate dimension--voluntary or otherwise--is to hit the libraries and the local version of the Internet, should it exist. Identify the historical and cultural differences between this version of Earth and the one you call home.

Pump the locals (inconspicously, of course) for information to fill in whatever gaps exist in the public records. Find out who you can and cannot trust. Avoid revealing your "otherworldly" origins to the locals, as such contact could endanger yourself and/or those you entrust.

Try, if possible, to locate your counterparts on this Earth. Do not attempt contact unless you feel you can trust your counterpart, or is otherwise absolutely necessary, as such contact could endanger yourself and/or your counterpart.

Most of this information is well known to "seasoned" alternate universe travelers--this is re-stated mostly to have it all in one place. Feel free to add to this list--I'm sure it's not at all complete.

[OddHat]

5) If your alternate self is of the opposite sex, do not have sex with him/her. You have no way of knowing which of you will get pregnant, but it's inevitable that one of you will.

5a) If you're from a state or province where Brother-Husband, Sister-Wife, and similar relations are both socially acceptable and legally recognized, what the heck, go for it.

[Sundog]

Terminus would go after the interdimensional baddie. A) It's his job, and B) Interdimensional Baddies have a nasty tendency to show up again. Best to nip it in the bud.

Silverghost, on the other hand, would probably go on a crime-spree. If these guys hate her anyway, why try to reform? PAR-TAY!

[Kirby]

I'd get awefully busy on gaming day for the next few weeks.

I find marvel mutant paranioa land tedious, cumbersome, and fundamentally without merit. Its tired, cliched and overdone at this point; there is nothing left of the horse's corpse to beat; and I gave up on marvel a long time ago. And the main reason I gave up on marvel was mutant paranoia, mutant angst, mutant title spam, and dystopic dark futures. Marvel has characters I like. The problem is, they don't have editors I like, and haven't for about a decade.

I would use the Power Absent (TM) until the "something different" was over and done with.

Repped!

[moquif]

I'd get awefully busy on gaming day for the next few weeks.

I find marvel mutant paranioa land tedious, cumbersome, and fundamentally without merit. Its tired, cliched and overdone at this point; there is nothing left of the horse's corpse to beat; and I gave up on marvel a long time ago. And the main reason I gave up on marvel was mutant paranoia, mutant angst, mutant title spam, and dystopic dark futures. Marvel has characters I like. The problem is, they don't have editors I like, and haven't for about a decade.

I would use the Power Absent (TM) until the "something different" was over and done with.

Agreed. I didn't buy the mutant spam books, I focused on heroes/heroines who I felt earned their powers in some way. Naturally many of these books got canceled. Marvel is close to loosing me thanks to Civil War.

On the bright side if things keep going bad in Civil War, Marvel may have to do a reboot like what happened in the DC universe several times. Just start from scratch, and none of that Ultimate stuff.

[Hermit]

I think most of my characters would try to go after the Extradimensional baddie, take him down, and see if he has some tech or something that would speed up the return home.

[McCoy]

I'd get awefully busy on gaming day for the next few weeks.

I find marvel mutant paranioa land tedious, cumbersome, and fundamentally without merit. Its tired, cliched and overdone at this point; there is nothing left of the horse's corpse to beat; and I gave up on marvel a long time ago. And the main reason I gave up on marvel was mutant paranoia, mutant angst, mutant title spam, and dystopic dark futures. Marvel has characters I like. The problem is, they don't have editors I like, and haven't for about a decade.

I would use the Power Absent (TM) until the "something different" was over and done with.

I'm suprised to hear you say that. Mutant paranioa is a metaphore for all persecution and bigotry, and as long as there is persecution and bigotry in The Real World those storylines will be relevant. Cliche? Perhaps. But three generations after WWII Nazis and the Holocost still resonate. Cliches become cliches because they reflect a very basic truth.

[McCoy]

Back to the question.

All characters Track down interdimensional baddie. All characters except dolphin will try to take him out. Dolphin will point out that if he is unconcious or imprisoned he may miss the D-portal when it next opens, how about a truce and everybody lay low until then?

Cheeta can "pass" by not taking his drugs, but probably won't.

Millennium would feel the need to rescue people as publically as possible, seting an example.

Again, all characters, make contact with the meta underground, plant the seeds.