The-Packrat Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Hi all. Has anyone here ever created a campaign world where Doctor Destroyer ( The real one, mind, not that NM quirk) was not just the pre-eminent threat to the world but actually ravaged part of it? That's how my campaign is. According to my timeline, it was Zertstoiten that gave Oppenheimer 'hints' about how to make an atom bomb. But what he didn't do was tell Oppenhiemer the exact formula. So when Hiroshima and Nagisaki got it at the end of World War II, the A-bombs actually detonated with so much force that they vaporized all of asia, the Middle -East, and most of Europe. Destroyer quickly moved in, renamed the territory Destruga, and took control as Emperor. The survivoring people of this disaster: The USA, France, Russia, Canada, Germany, Spain, Great Britian, China, Japan, and India all moved en mass to the American continents, and gave rise to a massive, massive city called Millennia City. Nowa days, in 2006, the heroes traverse MC stopping crime and thwarting terror, all the while keeping their peepers peeled for any threats arising from the Emperor of Destruga, the Evil in the East, Doctor Destroyer. Any one else done anything like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest daeudi_454 Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? That many people in the Americas? The logistics for food would be a nachtmare. I have had a campaign where the MegaVillain took over Australia and the surrounding Islands back in 48... but nothing on the scale you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funksaw Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? Actually, America could indeed support a much larger population in 1945... Today the population of the U.S. is roughly 300 million. In 1945, the population was 145 million. I think the U.S. could likely survive a doubling of it's population - remember, not everyone in Europe and Asia made it onto a ship heading to the U.S., not everyone survived the blast. The poor would likely be left behind in Destruga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirViss Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? I just want to know: what happened to Los Alamos, when the bomb was tested? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? That would be the Great New Mexico Crater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? The default condition in the CU is that the world is already ruled by Supervillains. The Circle of the Scarlet Moon has a lock down on the parts of the Western World not controlled by DEMON or VIPER, while the East is mostly under the thumb of ancient cults and mystics. "Heroes" defend the status quo to protect the villains in control from villains like Destroyer waiting in the wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? Any one else done anything like this? No; actually, I haven't. But it sounds _very_ cool to explore if we swing back to supers..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funksaw Posted August 19, 2006 Report Share Posted August 19, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? The default condition in the CU is that the world is already ruled by Supervillains. The Circle of the Scarlet Moon has a lock down on the parts of the Western World not controlled by DEMON or VIPER, while the East is mostly under the thumb of ancient cults and mystics. "Heroes" defend the status quo to protect the villains in control from villains like Destroyer waiting in the wings. You are so depressing. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackValhalla Posted August 20, 2006 Report Share Posted August 20, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? One campaign, years ago, Dr. Zerstoiten took over the United States by the simple method of being elected, wearing a clever disguise. Then he commanded his private army to attack the American borders. This gave him the means to declare martial law as the legitimately-elected commander-in-chief.. It got pretty ugly before the PCs managed the big unveiling. Current campaign, all of the old Soviet bloc is run by a supervillain named Nochemorte, pulling strings from the shadows. South Africa is run openly by another supervillain, the Matriarch. Techornet has laid claim to all of the Sahara desert, and so far has been able to defend that claim. Helix is the self-proclaimed Czar of Cyberspace, and has even demanded "tribute" on occasion. There are over a hundred supertypes that are warring back and forth for control of different parts of Israel. I do love me the global conspiracy angle, and I do enjoy foreign adventures. But I have never done anything on that scale. Dr. D wiping all life from Eurasia and then replacing it with his robots and factories and loyal troops?... Damn, that's impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? The default condition in the CU is that the world is already ruled by Supervillains. The Circle of the Scarlet Moon has a lock down on the parts of the Western World not controlled by DEMON or VIPER, while the East is mostly under the thumb of ancient cults and mystics. "Heroes" defend the status quo to protect the villains in control from villains like Destroyer waiting in the wings. Oh, meh, this is totally not canon. For one thing, VIPER's center of power isn't even in the first world, its in Africa. DEMON doesn't "control" stuff in the rulership sense, it has its own goals. And the Circle are a bunch of Buffy escapees who stay in the shadows because if they stepped out of them, they would die quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? Oh' date=' meh, this is totally not canon. [/quote'] But it is true that ARGENT rules New Zealand. Australia, on the other hand, is secretly run by the Wanambi Man. No supers operate on his turf without permission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? Yeah, but he's a good guy; thats allowed. ( mental image of an Aboriginal shaman. . . crouching over the edge of a Canberra skyscraper, looking down at whats happening below with a pair of binoculars, then swinging down on a grapple line to beat up some muggers ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? I just want to know: what happened to Los Alamos' date=' when the bomb was tested? [/quote'] [NITPICK] In real life, the bomb wasn't tested at Los Alamos -- which is why Los Alamos is still there. It was exploded 150 miles to the south on the White Sands Missile Range at what is now known as Trinity Site. [/NITPICK] But yeah, if the A-Bombs built by the Manhattan Project were powerful enough to destroy most of Asia, you'd think the prototype would've done the same to North America. Also, don't forget that the Nagasaki bomb was dropped 3 days after the Hiroshima bomb. Presumably the US would've noticed if the first bomb did that much more damage than expected, and there would've been no need to drop the second bomb. Details aside, my only question on reading Packrat's scenario is why Dr. D or anyone would want to rule over an empty radioactive wasteland? Zertstoiten may a complete megolomanic, but he's not that insane. It sounds like a fun campaign from the PCs' standpoint, but my suspension-of-disbelief filter has a hard time with parts of the backstory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? Oh' date=' meh, this is totally not canon. For one thing, VIPER's center of power isn't even in the first world, its in Africa. DEMON doesn't "control" stuff in the rulership sense, it has its own goals. And the Circle are a bunch of Buffy escapees who stay in the shadows because if they stepped out of them, they would die quickly.[/quote'] Apparently, even a smiley doesn't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? the A-bombs actually detonated with so much force that they vaporized all of asia' date=' the Middle -East, and most of Europe.[/quote'] One other thought - can you say "Nuclear Winter"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KA. Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? One other thought - can you say "Nuclear Winter"? Okay, let me go for the no-prize on this one. The bomb that Destroyer 'helped' Oppenheimer with was much more advanced than anything we can build, even currently. For one thing, it was much more powerful, but much less 'dirty' than our bombs. And it put out energy that effectively vaporized humans while doing relatively little damage to either structures or the atmosphere. Sort of a super-advanced 'neutron' bomb. Also, it did not create 'fallout' in the classic sense, so it did not leave behind a radioactive wasteland, so much as a gigantic 'ghost town'. And, of course, only one had to be dropped. Because, like Everlasting Gobstoppers, One is enough for anybody. KA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlord Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? Yeah, I think it would make more sense to say Destroyer did something secretly to affect the Hiroshima bomb after it was ready to be dropped. Also, remember Nagasaki was originally dropped 3 days afterwards. Why drop Nagasaki when Hiroshima's already disintegrated the continent? ...and wouldn't the entire world initially be REALLY po'ed at Roosevelt for this act (since how would anyone know it was Destroyer)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? Also, if the bomb was powerful enough to destroy Asia, what happened to California? Indeed the entire Pacific Ring? Tsunamis would have been unprecedented. Japan sits near some pretty major fault lines. Keith "Boom!" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? Apparently' date=' even a smiley doesn't help.[/quote'] Sorry, pet peeve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdamnhero Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? The bomb that Destroyer 'helped' Oppenheimer with was much more advanced than anything we can build, even currently. For one thing, it was much more powerful, but much less 'dirty' than our bombs. And it put out energy that effectively vaporized humans while doing relatively little damage to either structures or the atmosphere. Sort of a super-advanced 'neutron' bomb. Also, it did not create 'fallout' in the classic sense, so it did not leave behind a radioactive wasteland, so much as a gigantic 'ghost town'. Points for creativity. I amend my previous question to "Why would anyone want to rule over a gigantic ghost town?" I mean, what's the point of being a ruler if there's no worshipful masses to rule? This just sounds more like something Takofanes would do (technology notwithstanding) than something Dr. D would be interested in. Actually, a campaign where Takofanes has taken over most of the world could be pretty interesting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? Points for creativity. I amend my previous question to "Why would anyone want to rule over a gigantic ghost town?" I mean, what's the point of being a ruler if there's no worshipful masses to rule? This just sounds more like something Takofanes would do (technology notwithstanding) than something Dr. D would be interested in. I agree with this. If I were to use Destroyer at all in my campaign (at the moment I don't), I'd play up his connections to the Nazi party and have him as the secret ruler of Ultima Thule, a high-tech Nazi dystopia in a huge cavern complex under Greenland. Let him have a network of agents and interests throughout the world's governments, maintained in part by trade in his own Supertech. See how the players feel when they realize that their new team space-plane was built according to an old Nazi design, with key parts assembled by slave labor in Ultima Thule and booby-trapped to keep the government from getting more than they'd traded for. More on topic, I'd say that the key to Destroyer is that he want's to rule; ruling a dead continent is no fun at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Johnston Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? "Irradiate" would probably be a more accurate descriptor. But it is true that the United States wouldn't deploy a weapon without testing. Zerstoiten would have to add some unobtanium to the mix when nobody was looking. But hey, anything to get mutant hordes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted September 26, 2006 Report Share Posted September 26, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? I mean' date=' what's the point of being a ruler if there's no worshipful masses to rule?[/quote'] A couple of possibilities for Dr D: 1. Play up the Nazi aspects of his background. Blowing up Asia is no great drama if Europe is in relatively good shape. 2. He has his followers in their hidden valley to form the basis of his Brave New World. Any other survivors would, naturally, form the lower classes. 3. While the Doctor has problems genetically engineering himself, he is at least theoretically capable of growing new worshipful masses. After all, if that cretin Teleios can do this kind of thing, the mighty Doctor can do it better. Too easy. The Doctor wins. --- Inspired by this thread, I have started thinking about the interaction of the Dreamtime, Wanambi Man, Walkabout and so on with the Australian government and other supers. I'm beginning to suspect that what most people think of as "Australia" is more like a shantytown or hobo camp on the fringes of the "real" Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted September 26, 2006 Report Share Posted September 26, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? I'm hoping the Wanambi Man gets a writeup somewhere; I got the impression he's one of the *big* guns of the setting, one of those mages who is not the archmage only for obstructing responsibilities or obligations, not lack of power or wisdom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted September 26, 2006 Report Share Posted September 26, 2006 Re: Could Destroyer Win? I'm hoping the Wanambi Man gets a writeup somewhere; I got the impression he's one of the *big* guns of the setting' date=' one of those mages who is not the archmage only for obstructing responsibilities or obligations, not lack of power or wisdom.[/quote'] Apparently he's not that much of a fighter. He seems more of an advisor type. Isn't there a writeup for Walkabout somewhere? What is he like (roughly)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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