What does a timeline need?

[assault]

A couple of people have posted bits of their campaign timelines, and this has inspired me to try to write mine down.

 

The obvious question is: what should be in a timeline?

 

Some things are obvious:

- When the first (modern) superhero(es) appeared.

- Hints as to the sources of superpowers.

- Any waves ("Ages") of superheroes.

- Sufficient details to allow players to develop legacy characters if that is appropriate and desired. (But how much is this?)

 

What else is necessary/appropriate?

[McCoy]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

A couple of people have posted bits of their campaign timelines, and this has inspired me to try to write mine down.

 

The obvious question is: what should be in a timeline?

 

Some things are obvious:

- When the first (modern) superhero(es) appeared.

- Hints as to the sources of superpowers.

- Any waves ("Ages") of superheroes.

- Sufficient details to allow players to develop legacy characters if that is appropriate and desired. (But how much is this?)

 

What else is necessary/appropriate?

Real world events to provide context for the campagine

 

Where you campagine history diverges from the real world.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Important world events that included supers in some fashion.

 

Real-world events that turned out differently in your game universe because of supers. (Or, as importantly, real-world events that at first blush someone could reasonably expect supers to have made a difference, and why they didn't.)

[Kirby]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

The obvious question is: what should be in a timeline?

Dates. Definitely in chronological order. You think "that's obvious" but I've been in a White Wolf game where the GM gave us accomplishments of an NPC we all didn't care for (but all the other NPCs loved) at his funeral. They were all out of order. Listening to it almost made my eyes explode out of my head. Luckily I held them in with the palms of my hands smashing them repeatedly.

[sinanju]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Campaign events that lay the groundwork for future plotlines.

 

...also, a few campaign events that have no particular significance so the players don't (correctly) assume that everything in the timeline is directly applicable to their PCs' adventures.

[Lemurion]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Dates. Definitely in chronological order. You think "that's obvious" but I've been in a White Wolf game where the GM gave us accomplishments of an NPC we all didn't care for (but all the other NPCs loved) at his funeral. They were all out of order. Listening to it almost made my eyes explode out of my head. Luckily I held them in with the palms of my hands smashing them repeatedly.

 

Yes, Dates are vital. I'm doing mine up in a spreadsheet (Open Office Calc, but Excel would also work). The big advantage is if you put the date in the first cell you can ENTER them out of order, then a quick sort puts them automatically into order.

[Mike W]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

1. The first appearances of the current group of major heroes.

 

2. An approximation of when major supertech advances took place.(i.e. first power armor, first interstellar space ship, etc)

 

3. First contact with aliens.

 

4. When did mutants/heroes with inborn powers become comon.

 

5. Everything else mentioned on the thread(when waves of heroes appeared, important events involving supers, etc.)

 

Dates are important as well. Make sure it all ties together and that you have an idea of when things happen. It makes it easier to tie your character into the CU if you have some idea of what happened and when. It gives you a chance to write your character intot he history of the CU, which opens up lots of possibilities for roleplaying - and for GM plothooks.

[concord]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Building on want the others have said... here are a few more suggestions...

 

First appearance of major villains, solos and groups...

 

Maybe a couple of flavor changes to history... for example:

1963 11.22 USA JFK Assassination: The Hidden Paranormal Theory President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas. Several onlookers report seeing a shadow on the grassy knoll overlooking the site of the assassination.

 

1963 11.25 USA JFK Assassination: The Hidden Paranormal Theory Reports begin circulating about a hidden paranormal assisting Oswald with the assassination after members of the Secret Service protective detail report dizziness and disorientation just prior to the attack.

 

1963 12.01 USA JFK Assassination: The Hidden Paranormal Theory Saint, a paranormal member of the Secret Service, resigns to pursue the "Hidden Paranormal Theory."

 

1965 12.01 USA JFK Assassination: The Hidden Paranormal Theory After a two year investigation, Saint announces that he has found no evidence to indicate that Oswald had help, paranormal or otherwise. After announcing his findings that Oswald acted alone, Saint says that he has concluded his investigation into the matter.

Increased granularity the closer you get to the campaign city... by this I mean there should be more info concerning the campaign area, so that the characters can get a better feel for it... especially if they grew up in the area...

 

My last suggestion would be, use the player backgrounds... a lot of my campaign history/timeline has been enhanced by players that designed either long lived characters or legacy characters...

 

Some of my campaign history and timelines can be found at the Foundation Chronicles website, link is in my signature.

[Kirby]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Plot seeds!

 

If there are certain plots you're pretty certain you're going to run, then you could have bits of the background introduced into the timeline. Maybe a few years back on Date X, a hi-tech developer had Master Plans stolen. Years later and the campaign is starting out and BOOM, the Master Plans prototype is displayed by Villainous Organization Introducing Chaos Everywhere.

 

 

What's that spell?!

[Enforcer84]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

a nice font.

 

 

They answered all the good ones.

[HeroGM]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Dates

[Kirby]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Dates

Blind, Double, or Food? 'Cause we already mentioned chronological.

[OddHat]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

A guiding philosophy.

 

If you never intend to have Anime style action in the campaign, think twice about including Anime events in the time line. Same with talking animals, and any other elements that may not fit the tone of your world.

 

Be careful about having too many similar archetypes in the back story. There's only room for so many Great Detectives or Flying Bricks before they stop being interesting.

 

Leave room for the Player Characters. I don't like having too many powerful NPCs active in the same time and place as the PCs. On a related note, I don't like planning out the timeline past the start of the campaign. If the game is rigged (Chicago is going to be destroyed no matter what you do), it stops feeling like a Superhero game (imo and all that). If you allow time travel, it's even trickier; you have to decide ahead of time just how plastic you want the timeline to be.

[McCoy]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Same with talking animals' date=' and any other elements that may not fit the tone of your world.[/quote']

But there's always an exception.

 

I am normally against talking animals, just too "worst of the Silver Age."

 

But as I'm doing my timeline certain -- things are tapping on the screen asking to come in.

 

Talking gorillas.

 

Streaky (but strangely not Krypto).

 

The Mysteries Inc. gang.

[OddHat]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

But there's always an exception.

 

I am normally against talking animals, just too "worst of the Silver Age."

 

But as I'm doing my timeline certain -- things are tapping on the screen asking to come in.

 

Talking gorillas.

 

Streaky (but strangely not Krypto).

 

The Mysteries Inc. gang.

 

In which case you do intend to have talking animals, so groovy.

 

I'm doing talking animals as well, mainly as descendants of animals experimented upon by Dr. Moreau. Not many, but they are out there. I still haven't decided if I'm going to use Krypto. For Streaky, in Gladiator Hugo Danner's father tested his formula by creating a super-kitten, which he then had to poison (as a kitten with the power of a tiger could have killed him or his family entirely by accident). If I hadn't decided to merge Hugo and Clark, I might have used that experiment for the origin of Streaky.

 

Now you have me thinking about it.

[McCoy]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

In which case you do intend to have talking animals, so groovy.

 

I'm doing talking animals as well, mainly as descendants of animals experimented upon by Dr. Moreau. Not many, but they are out there. I still haven't decided if I'm going to use Krypto. For Streaky, in Gladiator Hugo Danner's father tested his formula by creating a super-kitten, which he then had to poison (as a kitten with the power of a tiger could have killed him or his family entirely by accident). If I hadn't decided to merge Hugo and Clark, I might have used that experiment for the origin of Streaky.

 

Now you have me thinking about it.

Cool.

 

I'm vaguely thinking of having a normal cat gain super-powers (and super inteligence) through an accident, then becoming Supergirl's pet.

 

(By the way, have you thought of an origin for Supergirl in your timeline? Maybe Patricia Savage needed a blood transfusion from Hugo?)

 

As far as Mysteries Inc, if Velma Dinkley was 18 years old in 1969, she's probably a grandmother now. Scooby's puppies puppies puppies would be six feet under. Baring time travel or a flashback, the PC's will never meet him, but they may hear the legend.

 

Oh, and I'm going back to the Inhuman's Dirty Little Secret, Lockjaw is not Crystal's pet, but her twin, who is so defomed he prefers to act and be treated like an animal because it is too painful to be reminded that he is a person.

[OddHat]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Cool.

 

I'm vaguely thinking of having a normal cat gain super-powers (and super inteligence) through an accident, then becoming Supergirl's pet.

 

(By the way, have you thought of an origin for Supergirl in your timeline? Maybe Patricia Savage needed a blood transfusion from Hugo?)

 

She's the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman (now that I have Wonder Woman's origin in the timeline), adopted and raised by Clark and Lois Kent. I just need to find out when she made her first appearance. If possible, I'd like her to be concieved around 1945, while Clark Kent and Wonder Woman are still working together and before Clark marries Lois. That also makes her, through Diana, the grand daughter of Tarzan and La, Priestess of ancient Opar. The "Cousin" story is intended to help protect her true identity. Kara goes through several Super identities in her career. She starts off as Supergirl, trying to be a good daughter. Conflict with her father provokes her to change costumes and opperate under the name Wondergirl for nearly two years. In her early twenties, she uses a much more risque costume and goes by the name Powergirl. Finally, in her late twenties (though still looking like a teen), she reconciles with her father and reclaims the name Supergirl. She will continue to switch costumes and adventuring personas as the mood strikes her; it adds to the security of her private life, and she enjoys being able to honor both her birth parents.

 

I'm seriously considering using the Marvel Family.

 

As far as Mysteries Inc, if Velma Dinkley was 18 years old in 1969, she's probably a grandmother now. Scooby's puppies puppies puppies would be six feet under. Baring time travel or a flashback, the PC's will never meet him, but they may hear the legend.

 

Oh, and I'm going back to the Inhuman's Dirty Little Secret, Lockjaw is not Crystal's pet, but her twin, who is so defomed he prefers to act and be treated like an animal because it is too painful to be reminded that he is a person.

 

I like both of these ideas.

[assault]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Scooby's puppies puppies puppies would be six feet under. Baring time travel or a flashback' date=' the PC's will never meet him, but they may hear the legend.[/quote']

 

That's assuming that Scooby's lifespan is only that of a normal dog. Given his distinctly unusual characteristics, that isn't necessarily true.

 

By the way, this site: (http://www.mindspring.com/~ernestm/cthulhu/ ) is a fine resource for Scooby Doo related roleplaying.

[OddHat]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

That's assuming that Scooby's lifespan is only that of a normal dog. Given his distinctly unusual characteristics, that isn't necessarily true.

 

By the way, this site: (http://www.mindspring.com/~ernestm/cthulhu/ ) is a fine resource for Scooby Doo related roleplaying.

 

How about making Scooby one of the identities assumed by Ralph von Wau Wau?

[sinanju]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

As far as Mysteries Inc' date=' if Velma Dinkley was 18 years old in 1969, she's probably a grandmother now. Scooby's puppies puppies puppies would be six feet under. Baring time travel or a flashback, the PC's will never meet him, but they may hear the legend.[/quote']

 

But is she a 54 year-old woman with leathery skin and a raspy chain-smokers' voice with an oft-broken nose, numerous scars of all kinds, and the thousand yard stare of a woman who's seen more combat than a division of Marines?

[McCoy]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

But is she a 54 year-old woman with leathery skin and a raspy chain-smokers' voice with an oft-broken nose' date=' numerous scars of all kinds, and the thousand yard stare of a woman who's seen more combat than a division of Marines? [/quote']

Given how nearsighted she was in '69, I rather think she's totally blind by now. Never a chain smoker, but yes, the leathery skin and numerous scars, and at age 54 continues practicing martial arts for 2 hours every day.

[McCoy]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Oh, and an entry that needs to be on every modern timeline:

 

1966 Stephanie Kwolek, working at DuPont, invents Kevlar, a polymer five times as strong as the same weight of steel.

[beauxdeigh]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Oh, and an entry that needs to be on every modern timeline:

 

1966 Stephanie Kwolek, working at DuPont, invents Kevlar, a polymer five times as strong as the same weight of steel.

 

That's the year it was patented. It was first marketed in 1971, which I use because that's when it has its first affect on the public. However, either date works for a timeline.

 

The fun I have in time-lines is taking an everyday event and doing a 'What if...' with them. Thus, John Cabot's final voyage turns into the discovery of a secret land under the North American continent. Thomas Vaughan is the first actual sorceror of the world. Stephanie Kwolek develops kevlar to aid her crimefighting son, who in turn convinces her to release it to the general public.

[MCMaenza]

Re: What does a timeline need?

 

Lots of good suggestions about timelines here.

 

On a different angle of the same topic: what I did was have two versions of my timeline. One was for me, the GM, that included things like secret identities, birth years of key figures, etc. The other version was for my players - which had any info in the GM's timeline that the average person could put together with a little research (newspaper archives, computer searches, etc.). My players enjoyed this a lot as it allowed them to be able to get details about my world history that might benefit them down the road during the game. Plus, it gave them a sense of what had gone before, possible allies or resources they could go to, etc.