Inceptum Terminus World Book

[The_Patriot]

This will be a thread about the book I'm working on for the Hero System about the superhero world I created about 16 years ago. I'll be adding more stuff to this thread, but here is the timeline of events to give an idea of where the world is at.

Timeline of Events

2001

The World Trade Center is attacked by Al Qaeda terrorists and is destroyed on September 11. France and Pakistan sign a secret mutual defense pact with Iraq and Afghanistan. NATO is resolved to support the War on Terrorism and send troops into the opening moves in the Afghanistan war. The Taliban secretly sends cells aided by France and Pakistan into Europe, United States, and Asia. The cells are armed with a variety of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons of mass destruction.

In the latter months of the year, the United States finds out information regarding Russian involvement in the spread of global terrorism. The United States stands before the United Nations and condemns the French and Pakastanis for their support of the terrorists. The UN dissolves shortly after the incident with China, North Korea, and Vietnam signing onto the French-Pakistani-Taliban treaty. Al Qaeda moves their cells out from those countries into neighboring countries that are supportive of the United States and her remaining NATO allies. Among those allies is the Russian Confederation.

2002

The first United States space superiority fighters and bombers are launched on space based carriers. Their orders are to destroy enemy satellites and ICBMs. France and China reply by speeding up their development on their own space based navy. By the end of the year the three sides are arrayed against each other for battle. The United States has perfected their stealth technology rendering their space force invisible to all electronic means of detection.

With the Al Qaeda sleeper cells in place their target countries a wave of world wide terrorism is launched in the early hours of December 31. Weapons of mass destruction destroy many of the capitals of the United States and her allies. The entire world descends into anarchy with the United States and her allies launch their nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons at China, North Korea, France, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran.

2003

With the capitals and major cities destroyed across the world in the flames of destruction the United States military is left in the dark as the entire federal government collapses. The states are hard pressed to deal with the assignment of command and control since Washington D.C. disappears under a 10 megaton suitcase nuke. In the shadows of the death of the world, the corporations start their long and drawn out Corporate Wars that will last for the next two centuries. At the end of the wars the Corporate States of America rise from the ashes. Contact between the United States and the rest of the world is dissolved. The people of the former United States are reduced to being serfs to the corporate machine. The final nail in the coffin is slammed home on the last freedom and liberty for the people of the United States in most of the Corporate States. The ideals of the founding fathers died...

2004-2054

The first of the long line of Corporate Wars begins in the aftermath. The people struggle to survive under the harsh and draconian conditions. Life is just a hairs breadth away from many things like scavengers, the mega-corps, starvation, and disease. Fighting is fierce amongst the corporations and one after another fall to the strongest. By the end of 2054, the environment has stabilized and food production rises. Disease, radiation, and chemicals are cleansed from the soil by the massive reclamation projects financed by the mega-corps. The discovery by Biogenetics of mutations in the human genome results in these proto-Gifted being seized for experimentation.

2055-2100

Proto-Gifted start to appear in greater numbers among the human population. The rest of the mega-corps begin their own genetic programs and fight Biogenetics for control. Every mega-corp launches a publicity campaign designed to dehumanize The Gifted within their borders. The publicity campaign is nothing more then a fear campaign that teaches normal humans to fear these superpowered people and that they are less then human. Humans are their natural rulers and The Gifted do not even warrant such niceties as life. Near the end of the century, all but a few handful of Gifted are left free due to their skill in hiding in the vast mega-cities or out in the wilderness.

2101-2200

The Gifted are fully realized and subject to the cruelty of slavery. Their lives are short due to their extreme losses due to war, genetic testing, or hazardous work. Humanity begins to thrive under the cruel dictatorships of the mega-corps and advances are made in technology once again. Anti-gravity vehicles, gauss weapons, laser weapons, and other former future technologies have come into regular use. An era of low intensity conflict begins amongst the mega-corps and peace reigns. Some mega-corps build vast walls to protect their territory and others let people move freely between the various territories.

At the end of the century the Gifted genome has been mapped out and work begins on creating artificial Gifted. Contact has been established with the former US Navy space fleet. The crew of the fleet died 60 years before due to starvation and system failures. Amidst the ruins of Washington D.C., a solitary man finds copies of the Articles of Confederation, former state Constitutions, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the Confederacy, and the writings of John Locke, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and the Anti-Federalists in the destroyed building that housed the Library of Congress. He assumes the name Patriot and spreads these writings throughout the underworld's vast computer network.

2201-2250

Patriot's fame spreads throughout the former United States and becomes hunted by the Corporate States of America. He travels the underground and spreads the message of freedom and equality. Over the next 40 years like minded individuals assemble to write a new constitution and vow to restore the states to power. Patriot and his close cabinet of advisors seek out and hide select Gifted. He offered them human rights and freedom in exchange for their help in toppling the mega-corps. They are a black project that only a select few individuals know of their existence and given the code name Inceptum Terminus. The beginning and the end for the future of humanity in the former United States.

The New Confederation of the United States elects its first government officials at the beginning of the new year for 2250. After the election, the Congress of the New Confederation votes to declare war on the Corporate States of America...

[The_Patriot]

I forgot to put in this morning before leaving for work that any and all comments are welcome.

[RedneckJedi]

Nice.

[Mr. R]

What power level are you looking at?

From the description it seems that this Gifted Team will be on their own a lot against a large number of opponents. Which means a large amount of self sufficiency. Even support PCs would have to be very capable.

[The_Patriot]

I'm looking at either 250 points or 350 points for each character. The logic behind the low points value is that the Gifted are third or fourth generation so the really high powered ones haven't been born yet.

[Sketchpad]

Are The Gifted basically mutants? They almost seem like it. Is there a package associated with it? I would also recommend taking a look at Wild Cards if you haven't ... some great ideas for incorporating real-world into supers

[The_Patriot]

Are The Gifted basically mutants? They almost seem like it. Is there a package associated with it? I would also recommend taking a look at Wild Cards if you haven't ... some great ideas for incorporating real-world into supers

The Gifted incorporate all three categories of standard comic superhero background types. I did it because it never made sense to have no discrimination against Altered or Equipment based superheroes while there was discrimination against Mutants. As far as a package, I haven't thought about it since I wanted them all to be fairly unique in their builds. Thanks for the great idea for a campaign ground rule.

[penemue]

My only concern about the validity of a Taliban/Russian treaty would be that psychologically Russia has been horribly scarred by their adventures in Chechnya. Domestic fears of Islamic terror cells would make a treaty with radical theocracies hard to fathom. I understand that your timeline takes place before the major terrorist attacks on Russia, events like the 2002 Nord-Ost siege, the 2005 Beslan school tragedy, but the Taliban are essentially the Mujahideen that fought the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s (supported by the US and Rambo no less).
I think that the loss of nuclear material or the unsafe storage of that material is more dangerous as the nuclear weapons might fall into the hands of radical third parties or sold to a rouge state like North Korea.
More realistically the war could start with a nuclear accident such as a Russian nuclear sub sinking off Manhattan and leaking large amounts of Radiation (maybe driven by a hurricane).
Just some ideas.
I have a few more ideas re. the corporations, but I'll have to wait until I'm less tired.
Great stuff, repped!!

[The_Patriot]

Updated the timeline based upon pen's suggestions. Enjoy.

[penemue]

It might be interesting if the Corps get the financing to take over from government assistance. They could use private security companies like Blackwater to provide muscle or they could have in-house "security forces" to test all that experimental equipment. I honestly think that people would gladly hand over their personal freedoms to these corporations as long as the populace is entertained and basic needs are met. Bread and circuses. 50 years of Corporate Wars would be an interesting time. Who emerges from the wars as the dominant companies? Who are the losers? What are the differences between the companies? Any good guys?
What about corps outside of the US?

[kridenow]

Hello,
Some comments about the France involvement there.
I have trouble to imagine why France would sign a mutual defense pact with Pakistan (and/or Iran and Afghanistan).
However, I would rather see France sign a scientific cooperation treaty with Pakistan (much less with Iran or Iraq).
That can lead to a technology transfer about civilian nuclear operations and/or military nuclear operations tp Pakistani.
From there, the technology, maybe the material, has to make only a jump into Iran (maybe from spying or bribing ?).

France would have little reason to accept Taliban cells on its soil.
However, I suggest to use the Lebanon connection instead.
France has a long history of friendship and fatherly attitude toward Lebanon. Many people from the top Lebanese social class still learn and speak french.
But Lebanon is also famous to harbor the Hezbollah, which is said to be supported by Iran.
So it looks more likely that Hezbollah terrorists, using their Lebanese contacts, successfully enters France and, from there, can radiate into Europe and establish cells.
Double crossed by Iran itself or doing it willingly, you can have Hezbollah members filling the same role than your infiltrated Talibans.

You can still keep the USA condemnation of France "helping the terrorist" since there, the french have sold technology or materials to Pakistani, which then have slipped into Irani/Al Qaeda hands. Add to it Lebanese/Hezbollah cells entering western countries because of the close ties between France and Lebanon, I think you can keep this element.

Now, about the rest, the geopolitical evolution, I really don't see France choosing to face USA in a war. A reluctant ally, a neutral country, a misguided self deluded pacifist country if you want but fighting USA, I just can't picture it (sincerely, I actually can't even tailor a motive).
Maybe, then, make France doing a string of bad decisions (securing assets on its own in Africa, raising the ire of China which invested a lot there recently), trying to form a third side in the looming war which backfire at some point ?
Or you might go for an "unfortunate event". With, say, french ships officially neutral but sailing too close from US ships just before a major naval engagement and someone is a bit zealous in the interpretation of "warning shots" (french shooting at a "nosy" US fighter or the other way around), leading to a brief confused state of war until/if the situation is clarified ?

Once the sleeper cells detonates their bombs, anything can happen I imagine, even obliterating the so dubious France (especially if indirect accusations and incidents piled before).

[The_Patriot]

@penemue: I have 10 mega-corps with one being really evil and one being a good guy. Great suggestions for the security companies and I'll incorporate them.

@kridenow: I can see France easily turning its back on the US and NATO. They ignored the sanctions against Iraq during the 1990's. Add in the fact that they were sending military equipment to Iraq during this time only shows that France can and will break with the US.

The way I have France being portrayed is one of mistaken identity. However, before hell is unleashed France does prepare to overrun western Europe, but it's hard to determine who is the aggressor since the European nations are moving their troops to their borders. The only thing I can say is that you'll have to read about the full version of the history.

[kridenow]

Well, I also fail to see why France would want to overrun Western Europe and I doubt the country has the military capacity to do so. Now it's a game about people having superpowers so everything is possible.

[The_Patriot]

I can think of several reasons. Namely smarting after Germany taking a more central role in NATO and the UN especially after them losing two world wars. The rise of fascism in France which Germany opposes and the rekindling of the age old hatred with the Germans. How many centuries of war have been the result of this hatred between France and Germany?

[kridenow]

The traditional enemy of France is England, from Middle Ages to the Napoleonic Wars (so about 5 centuries), not Germany. It just happens the latest wars were against the Germans (so about 70 years).
I don't exactly see where fascism is rising in France but it might be a campaign theme so it's ok.