Jump to content

How much worldbuilding?


Chris Goodwin

Recommended Posts

I seem to recall reading that, at some point.  I also remember reading a Dragon Magazine article from the 80's that suggested the 1 to 1 million ratio, for Marvel Superheroes (FASERIP) if I'm remembering correctly.  I thought that seemed a little low, especially for the full Marvel Universe at the time, but for the Marvel Cinematic Universe I'd guess it's probably about that.  

That was my starting point; it's the first suggestion I recall of the 1:million ratio (and of how it would affect the setting). I tried to supply a little quasi-logical adjustment to make the world look a little more like a standard comic-book universe. But I think it's still good to give plenty of supers to places beyond the US and a few other "usual suspects" locations such as the UK or Japan. It's the 21st century, not 1960: The real world is a lot more interconnected, and I want my super-world to reflect that.

 

Dean Shomshak

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 82
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I would thoroughly recommend DC Comic's New Super-Man for some ideas about how you might do China (which is the real elephant in the room). And it's a great comic.

 

China has the population, tech, money and mystical and martial arts traditions to at the very least rival the Americans, if not surpass them.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I think China might be a teeny bit outside of where he's planning to set the campaign. But the thread is about worldbuilding so.....

 

China and the Us would be two countries where supers would probably be focused.Whichopens an interesting campaign idea. Half of the original Ironman comics were the Russians trying to make a Soviet Ironman who would prove Soviet superiority by beating him. So a campaign where the Us, China, and probably a few other countries heroes make up half the other countries hunteds because their trying to gain super dominance might be interesting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't forget post-Soviet programs that fell into the hands of Russian Oligarchs as well as Putin's own interest in such things. If the campaign has a phase of Cold War superhuman development it CAN explain a US/Soviet heavy super population. Marvel pretty much built from that premise through the 60's and 70's (Iron Man as you say, but definitely not limited to his Rogues Gallery). In many cases they borrowed from the real world's progression of missile technology developed by Germany and spread to the USA and USSR through what they were able to grab in the occupations. China remains the third leg of that setup, of course, through Soviet help and potentially Nazi secrets traded to the Japanese that they were able to capture. Or US help given to the Nationalists.

 

The Ultimate universe and MCU largely follow that line. Their seminal event is the creation of Captain America and various projects to try and reproduce him (very explicitly in Ultimate). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't forget post-Soviet programs that fell into the hands of Russian Oligarchs as well as Putin's own interest in such things. If the campaign has a phase of Cold War superhuman development it CAN explain a US/Soviet heavy super population. Marvel pretty much built from that premise through the 60's and 70's (Iron Man as you say, but definitely not limited to his Rogues Gallery). In many cases they borrowed from the real world's progression of missile technology developed by Germany and spread to the USA and USSR through what they were able to grab in the occupations. China remains the third leg of that setup, of course, through Soviet help and potentially Nazi secrets traded to the Japanese that they were able to capture. Or US help given to the Nationalists.

 

The Ultimate universe and MCU largely follow that line. Their seminal event is the creation of Captain America and various projects to try and reproduce him (very explicitly in Ultimate). 

 

I had a Soviet Weapons program as the basis for my Powered Armor hero Ares.  Douglas Clark was a former U.S. Air Force pilot who's fighter pilot career was ended when he was injured while fighting a super villain.  Taking over his wealthy family's aerospace firm he built a set of powered armor named the Advanced Reconnaissance Excursion Suit.  In 1991during the August Coup he was kidnapped by rogue Soviet scientists to complete the stolen T-2000 powered armor.  Fortunately he escaped with the help of a Superheroine, completed his Ares armor, and defeats the T-2000 before it could be used to spark a Third World War.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally, I wobble between treating superbeings as being vanishingly rare, and having enough of them for them to form subcultures and social cliques.

 

If I wanted to build a universe modelled after the major comic publishers, I would at least begin with the vanishingly rare case.

 

I don't have any problem with imposing the tropes of the genre by fiat. Superheroes wear costumes because we are playing superheroes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Olympic Gold Medallists sounds about right.

 

Adding Paralympians and the Winter Olympics really beefs up some countries, so might have to be considered optional.

 

Add Nobel Prize Winners in appropriate fields, to include the more mental marvels.

 

With a bit of mucking about this kind of approach would give a plausible mix.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

My question is how much of a write-up should you do for NPCs who are expected to interact with the PCs on a regular or semi-regular basis?

 

Depends on role. If they're not expected to fight you can get by with a descriptive paragraph. Most of the time all you'll need is a rough idea of their points bracket (in old school terms, Incompetent, Normal, Competent). Heroic and above should get a full writeup - they're quite likely to end up in combat. 

 

Even useful skills don't need much attention. 11- for average people, up to 14- for experts.

 

Actual DNPCs, Contacts etc that affect points should probably get a writeup, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mnriku is mostly right. You'll need to know the cops combat skill far more often than you'll need to know the butler's butler skill. Only time I recall Jarvis ever needing to check was when he was bringing Tigra some milk, and she decided to leap at him. He made his role and she was impressed he didn't spill a drop. But you should have a good idea of frequent character most important skills. The tech friends actual skill level might not come up often. But it's kind of important if the role is 14 or 18 when the hero is busy fighting Evil Debadguy and someone should really do something about the remote control bomb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm planning for full writeups of villains and template characters like "competent normal" and the like, with maybe index cards for differentiating them. 

 

I have a couple of 5th Editions 250 Points Superhero Threads that you might find helpful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm planning for full writeups of villains and template characters like "competent normal" and the like, with maybe index cards for differentiating them. 

 

I end up doing something similar. The campaign I'm running now includes some specific NPCs that are important to the story so they get fully statted out and backgrounds (assuming they are public figures). Although the outline of the campaign may not have the PCs enter into combat with them or even get into some kind of skill challenge, players often do the unexpected. While I have no issue coming up with average skill levels for NPCs they may encounter or standard armor/weapons for the security detail, I like to keep key figures fleshed out and abilities consistent for story continuity. Plus it means I don't have to remember as much during each session since there's plenty changing on the fly based on PC actions=p If I have time and am feeling creative, I'll come up with NPCs from scratch, but have no issue plastering a new name on something I created 10 years ago or found here on the boards...it's recycling and good for the planet!

 

As for world building, the ones I've had the most fun with are based on real world timelines. While I've created new worlds, unique magic systems, etc., it's difficult to rein it all in. They end up being too open-ended for me and often for the players as well - almost too many possibilities. The campaign I'm running now changes some events in our timeline based on the actions of superpowered NPCs, which has a supers registry being enacted, but then later dissolved based on the altered timeline, which I also include since it may provide players with some background ideas. That's where the PCs find themselves - supers run companies, star in movies, and hawk energy drinks. I write up the names of corporations, its CEOs and such for flavor and potential NPCs with whom to interact, and some living and dead supers.

 

I've found that a table with design and ability guidelines helps give the players an idea about where their character will land if things get messy. In my experience, leaving it too open has resulted in a character that the player spent days or weeks fleshing out gets knocked out or killed in the first few phases. While taking some liberties with rolls to keep the game moving isn't a problem, the PC with no rDEF getting hit by, well, almost anything including a fall out a window is going down and everyone knows it. 

 

I often plan sessions or encounters ahead of time, just to be prepared for what the PCs may do. That said, I want them to be able to have an effect on the world. I like to have a lot of background before the game begins to provide the players with inspiration - names, places, some history. For my current campaign, I wrote dozens of pages about the origins of supers and the biological reasons for it as well as research being done to replicate it. I found myself getting bogged down by the details and painted myself into a corner several times so I never presented it to the players. I didn't want us getting into long discussions during the game about stuff like this. Villain A is trying to recruit new supers for her cult; many are found dead and no longer detect as supers. How the PCs track her down and what they do is up to them - if their methods are fun or creative, they'll make more progress and, like the last game, create more NPCs based on roleplaying. If the PCs want some of them to come along on a mission, grab a generic template, give them a name and quick story and move out!

 

My short reply ended up being way longer than I planned...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do a fair amount of world building before I start a campaign. I find it necessary to build a certain amount of "flavour" before I can really get into plot building.

 

World building for me usually involves some history, primary characters and world mechanics. I built all the player characters in my last campaign too. I find that leads to easier plot creation too.

 

I quite like to add the odd house rule to impart flavour. For example in my last campaign, to make the heroes more powerful without providing extra points I had a world rule that all supers got a free 10 points resistant Def vs "mundane" attacks. Which seemed to work nicely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

World building is my favorite thing about gaming.  When it comes to world building, I like combining ideas from games (even from other systems), books, and my own ideas.  For example, in the Champions world I am building, I started with some short stories as a primary source and stole liberally from comics, literature, and various gaming systems, and I consider information from real world science, philosophy, and theory.  I would love to take time to brag, but that would be inconvenient right now.  I don't have Internet at home and have to look for wi-fi hot spots to get online, and I often have to multitask to get everything done I want to get done.  I am hoping to have my Internet turned on in October, and if this conversation is going on then, perhaps, I will elaborate more after that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am working on a timeline for a game I would like to run in the future. Unfortunately, I have no players.

 

I have paid homage (stolen) to both DC and Marvel so far in creating the various alien races that exist. I have taken real world meteorite strikes and made them into crashed alien ships that have helped supply advanced tech to both the United States and the Soviet Union.

 

My ideal would be to run one group in the 1940s and one group in the 1970s, but I think I will have to settle for the 1970s group. I picked this time because I did not want all  the modern communications capabilities that I think ruin some of the fun of super teams. If everyone can communicate with each other all the time, I think it cuts down on suspense.

 

Any way, when creating or selecting a city for your campaign, do you start out with the known number of NPC heroes in the city or do you allow the players to be the only heroes? I am thinking of populating the cities (sister cities New Athens and Port Indigo) with about 10 NPC heroes to give the location some flavor, but not enough to over shadow what the players should be able to accomplish. What is a good hero per city ratio for story telling purposes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recommend doing some design work every day. It doesn't have to be much: Maybe just jot down an idea for an NPC, do a little work on a map for an encounter location, or something like that. But it adds up and gives you a reserve of material to draw upon later. You never know what might turn out to be useful.

 

Dean Shomshak

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any way, when creating or selecting a city for your campaign, do you start out with the known number of NPC heroes in the city or do you allow the players to be the only heroes? I am thinking of populating the cities (sister cities New Athens and Port Indigo) with about 10 NPC heroes to give the location some flavor, but not enough to over shadow what the players should be able to accomplish. What is a good hero per city ratio for story telling purposes?

 

I've usually done "you guys are the main heroes for this city" but set things in an ill-defined fictional medium-small city. You can always bring in or exclude outside characters, but there IS an old trope of "Superman stays in Metropolis" that in effect means that regardless of power level or logic, you don't visit another hero's patch unless it's an actual team-up. Seen far less often with Marvel, who base almost all their characters in New York anyway (and who cross-over and team up at the drop of a hat...), but you still see it on a per-borough basis. Only Spider-Man really does anything in Queens, and Daredevil is the main guy for Hell's Kitchen. Something happening in upstate New York? Better call the X-Men. No one ever goes to Yancy Street unless the Thing is involved. Manhattan is common ground though, and the base 'hood for both the Fantastic Four and Avengers.  

 

My advice would be form up a small "main team" for each location and fill in others as you need them. Have some floating characters who operate in-an-around and can be expected to turn up anywhere (ones with non-local responsibilities like Doctor Strange or Thor are good). Ten per sub city is probably a bit many, especially if you don't even know how many players you'll have.

 

I'd think 3-5 a good number for each team.

 

Love the idea of a 70's retro campaign!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...