Everybody's gots powers!

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

I was rereading Top Ten and I started considering what a game of that ilk might be like. Has anyone ever attempted a game where all NPCs had powers of some sort? It would be a big challenge, I'm sure.

[OddHat]

Re: Everybody's gots powers!

 

I was rereading Top Ten and I started considering what a game of that ilk might be like. Has anyone ever attempted a game where all NPCs had powers of some sort? It would be a big challenge' date=' I'm sure.[/quote']

 

Many years ago I did a short lived Jokertown Precinct game; PCs were minor league Ace and Joker-Ace cops (and the token normal, with his massive skill list and dark past) working in Jokertown, where everyone was a freak and most freaks had powers. The tough part was coming up with memorable descriptions for various off-the-cuff Jokers; the powers were easy. I just wrote up generic templates and added an extra power, skill, or stat where needed. A few of the best characters from that period have shown up in many campaigns since, with names and costumes changed just a bit (The Iron Granny, Big Red, Diana Bol, Chang, Arthur, probably more).

[Wanderer]

Re: Everybody's gots powers!

 

Meaning a situation where superhumans are very common, or every man and woman gets superpowers ?

 

Former: in the first years, society is thrown into disarray as it normal means of enforcement are strained by massive individual empowerment and the basic unspoken assumption of democracy (people are equal) is no longer true. Supers are the new celebrities and aristocracy of wealth, massively alter the socio-economic and ecological pattern, largely substitute armies. Slowly it readjustes to a loose unformal neo-feudalism where supers hold the reins of power. Very significant likelihood of widespread WWIII-like conflict somewhere in the timeline as various ideological and political factions of supers vie for dominance. The changes and influence get increasingly more widespread, quick and radical the more widespread are "cosmic" metahumans in the super populations.

 

Everyone gets powers: centralization of society significantly lowers, economy slides toward exchange of services as individuals have less necessities, and evolves toward historical nomad or Far West-like loose anarchical community. Mankind quickly expands to colonize the galaxy. Star Trek-like post-economic society quickly develops. If everyone gets cosmic powers: everyone gets to be the little god of his or her private space, no society beyond barter anarchy where the only meaningful exchange is creative output. Few existing laws center on preventing purposeful nonconsensual infliction of harm, by ad hoc posse community enforcement.

 

Not your classic superhero setting, but the idea has been explored in RPG, and can be quite an interesting experience: high-powered Mage, Nobilis, Amber, Aberrant.

 

Comics that have explored the godlike perspective, and societies where everyone has godlike power: Thor, New Gods, Eternals.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Everybody's gots powers!

 

maybe this is too obvious but I'll say it anyways,

 

Piers Anthony's Xanth series had this idea:

 

All citizens had SOME magic power.

some could only change the color of their freckles,

some could speak to birds,

some could conjure storms.

some could enter the fey realm.

 

it wasnt equal, fair, or balanced at all.

Kings and Queens had the most awesome powers of all.

 

one major plot was the boy born with no power.

if you had no power by the age of puberty you were banished.

his power turned out to be an anti-magic shell,

so it was totally inobvious, big misunderstanding.

[csyphrett]

Re: Everybody's gots powers!

 

Meaning a situation where superhumans are very common, or every man and woman gets superpowers ?

 

Former: in the first years, society is thrown into disarray as it normal means of enforcement are strained by massive individual empowerment and the basic unspoken assumption of democracy (people are equal) is no longer true. Supers are the new celebrities and aristocracy of wealth, massively alter the socio-economic and ecological pattern, largely substitute armies. Slowly it readjustes to a loose unformal neo-feudalism where supers hold the reins of power. Very significant likelihood of widespread WWIII-like conflict somewhere in the timeline as various ideological and political factions of supers vie for dominance. The changes and influence get increasingly more widespread, quick and radical the more widespread are "cosmic" metahumans in the super populations.

 

Everyone gets powers: centralization of society significantly lowers, economy slides toward exchange of services as individuals have less necessities, and evolves toward historical nomad or Far West-like loose anarchical community. Mankind quickly expands to colonize the galaxy. Star Trek-like post-economic society quickly develops. If everyone gets cosmic powers: everyone gets to be the little god of his or her private space, no society beyond barter anarchy where the only meaningful exchange is creative output. Few existing laws center on preventing purposeful nonconsensual infliction of harm, by ad hoc posse community enforcement.

 

Not your classic superhero setting, but the idea has been explored in RPG, and can be quite an interesting experience: high-powered Mage, Nobilis, Amber, Aberrant.

 

Comics that have explored the godlike perspective, and societies where everyone has godlike power: Thor, New Gods, Eternals.

 

Actually Top Ten is more like the early days of the legion, you know the Shuster years, mixed with Law and Order.

 

I doubt Andy Soames, the human airbag, would qualify as a new god or eternal.

CES