Super Teams Compete!

[TaxiMan]

for members. The "How Many U S Heros?" thread made me wonder if there might be a vast discrepancy in the number of members in super teams ... if superheros existed in real life (ha!).

 

Take New York, and assume that those superheros get lots of action, publicity, money, hero worship/fans, perks, etc. If you are a new super-person, wouldn't you want to join the "Superbowl" winning team? Statistically, wouldn't few want to join the one lonely old guy with super-drool that is too tired to leave your small hamlet?

 

Wouldn't that draw tons of supers to big "venues" and struggle to join the A-Team? How many subtle pop-culture references can I make?

 

Anyway, does anyone think we'd end up with bloated "Super Leagues", and only a few second-hand heroes would hang in the smaller cities / countryside?

 

Or maybe the government would want to "hire" as many as it could, and deploy them as it sees fit for national security / best re-election chances?

 

In short (too late!), wouldn't there be some Mega-Teams that had dozens to hundreds of members?

[st barbara]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

I could see most governments feeling VERY threatened by a "mega team" of even ten or twelve members. Not just a national government but local and state governments as well. MY "rationalization" for having teams in both San Francisco and Los Angeles is that the Frisco team got too big for the comfort of the state government and three of them moved to LA, joining local heros to form a team there while one former 'Frisco hero ("Tempest") returned to his roots in Louisiana. This still leaves San Francisco with half a dozen heros and L A with five I think. (I haven't got to California yet, so these are just preliminary notes)

[BNakagawa]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

It makes a certain amount of sense that the first world is overrepresented superhero wise, wrt populations.

 

If you're a visiting alien, are you more likely to hang out where the technology is or in the areas where the tech level is neolithic?

 

If you're a tech based superhero, what are the odds you come from Sub Saharan Africa? New Guinea? Mongolia? Not so much.

 

Plenty of spiders in new guinea. Not so many of them are radioactive, though.

 

Anyway, on the subject of supergroups - I think they would form and disband as needed. Supers are psychologically similar to rock stars. Give them a good enough cause and we get "we are the world". Then they all go their seperate ways. You can only expect them to suppress their egos for so long. Not to mention that many of them are fundamentally incompatible in so many ways.

 

I just don't see an ubergroup lasting very long. I need a larger crane to help me suspend my disbelief.

[Half Baked]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

Take New York, and assume that those superheros get lots of action, publicity, money, hero worship/fans, perks, etc. If you are a new super-person, wouldn't you want to join the "Superbowl" winning team? Statistically, wouldn't few want to join the one lonely old guy with super-drool that is too tired to leave your small hamlet?

 

Wouldn't that draw tons of supers to big "venues" and struggle to join the A-Team? How many subtle pop-culture references can I make?

 

Only if you assume publicity, money, hero worship etc are what motivates heroes. If they are trying to make a difference maybe they would think they could not do that in a mega-team. The money, publicity and technology of big centres is more likely to attract self-serving villains. The increase in supercrimes might then attract your heroes who want to make a difference.

[TaxiMan]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

Excellent points, all. "It all depends" on the fundamental assumptions. I was assuming "normal" people with superpowers - and your personal definition of "normal" depends on who you know.

 

My "normal" is a reasonably social, moderately self-serving and self-interested individual. Younger = more likely to want to hide or show off (either extreme, not often both). Older = more convinced of their opinions, but actually ignorant to some extent.

 

Weird heroes. Not like in the comics at all.

[David Johnston]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

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In short (too late!), wouldn't there be some Mega-Teams that had dozens to hundreds of members?

 

Only if the teams in question were willing to induct any random idiot who wants to join and fits the dress code ala Justice League of Animation. But generally I think the teams who had the kind of rep that would attract many applicants, would be the exact same teams that only troll for new members when they decide they're short-handed. Teams, even well financed teams, are going to be limited in terms of how many bedrooms they have in their HQ and how many VTOL vehicles they can put in the air.

 

What would tend to happen, though, is that people tend to congregate around the A-List teams in the hopes of being asked to join, not just for the fame and respect, but also because the A-List teams have the best facilities and training resources. Then when they don't make the cut, they can end up forming farm teams for mutual protection and to prove that they really have the stuff, or of course swearing revenge and trying to pound the A-Listers on a regular basis.

[SpydirShellX]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

Only if the teams in question were willing to induct any random idiot who wants to join and fits the dress code ala Justice League of Animation. But generally I think the teams who had the kind of rep that would attract many applicants, would be the exact same teams that only troll for new members when they decide they're short-handed. Teams, even well financed teams, are going to be limited in terms of how many bedrooms they have in their HQ and how many VTOL vehicles they can put in the air.

 

What would tend to happen, though, is that people tend to congregate around the A-List teams in the hopes of being asked to join, not just for the fame and respect, but also because the A-List teams have the best facilities and training resources. Then when they don't make the cut, they can end up forming farm teams for mutual protection and to prove that they really have the stuff, or of course swearing revenge and trying to pound the A-Listers on a regular basis.

 

While the A-List shows up to finish off the foes "Looked like you needed help, citizen." ("Citizen" is superhero for loser.) and get to enjoy playing games of foosball and air hockey between patrols in their Fortress of Amazing-a-tude.

[Hermit]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

for members. The "How Many U S Heros?" thread made me wonder if there might be a vast discrepancy in the number of members in super teams ... if superheros existed in real life (ha!).

 

Take New York, and assume that those superheros get lots of action, publicity, money, hero worship/fans, perks, etc. If you are a new super-person, wouldn't you want to join the "Superbowl" winning team? Statistically, wouldn't few want to join the one lonely old guy with super-drool that is too tired to leave your small hamlet?

 

Wouldn't that draw tons of supers to big "venues" and struggle to join the A-Team? How many subtle pop-culture references can I make?

 

Anyway, does anyone think we'd end up with bloated "Super Leagues", and only a few second-hand heroes would hang in the smaller cities / countryside?

 

Or maybe the government would want to "hire" as many as it could, and deploy them as it sees fit for national security / best re-election chances?

 

In short (too late!), wouldn't there be some Mega-Teams that had dozens to hundreds of members?

 

 

This reminds me of an idea I had for a DH article where a franchise system for superheroes was set up. Cities that hadn't had heroes before could get them now, and second string heroes were given PR advice etc, often made over, and signed up on contracts etc. It could be very Iron age with some superhumans either forced to act like something they aren't ("You want to pay for your mother's cancer? Then you'll wear the costume we tell you too, sweatheart.") or even pushed towards power granting drugs like those found in Villainy Amok.

[assault]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

This reminds me of an idea I had for a DH article where a franchise system for superheroes was set up. Cities that hadn't had heroes before could get them now' date=' and second string heroes were given PR advice etc, often made over, and signed up on contracts etc.[/quote']

 

I toyed with an idea along these lines influenced by the Batmen of Many Nations and the Green Arrows of the World.

 

Part of the idea was that supers with actual powers were rather rare, and most heroes and villains relied on training and equipment. This would have allowed me to handwave the distribution of supers how I saw fit. In other words, China and India wouldn't have massive numbers of supers.

 

Of course, as a side effect, Australia would have had a few such franchisees, and maybe the Tasmanian Devil.

 

The obvious problem then would be the villains. A Joker franchise system would be rather shortlived, I fear. The League of Assassins would probably work though.

 

The Manhunters would be another possible model for a heroic franchise. And a villainous one as well...

 

Hmm. Maybe I should revisit the idea.

[McManus]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

It makes a certain amount of sense that the first world is overrepresented superhero wise, wrt populations.

 

If you're a visiting alien, are you more likely to hang out where the technology is or in the areas where the tech level is neolithic?

 

If you're a tech based superhero, what are the odds you come from Sub Saharan Africa? New Guinea? Mongolia? Not so much.

 

Plenty of spiders in new guinea. Not so many of them are radioactive, though.

 

This raises some interesting questions. It certainly explains why high-tech, alien, and mutant heroes would be more common in the industrialized world. Conversely one could ask where are the masters of secret knowledge, martial artists, and mystical amalgams more likely to originate – Kalamazoo or Katmandu?

 

This could be an interesting split in the super world.

[mojo_bones]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

I would think that supers that were more inclined to join a "mega team" might be more inclined to join a government sanctioned group, or organization. The more classic "bureaucracy moves too slow-we need action!" types would maybe solo or have a small group. I also tend to see more of the rock star attitude for many heroes and having mid to large size teams forming and breaking up as egos get in the way. I can't imagine having awesome powers that put most people in total awe of you would not eventually go to one's head.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

Or it could be that there are plenty of people with superpowers in less-developed countries, but they are more low key; the whole "dress up in spandex and play hero" thing could be seen as just a Western pop culture trend.

 

As far as teams, some heroes are just not well suited to being part of a team, either by temperment, power suite, ot whatever. Also, it seems to me that heroes with "real" jobs in their Secret ID may find it harder to be "on duty" when the team needs them. Lastly, some lower-powered heroes might be more inclined to strike out on their own (or form their own teams) where they won't be overshadowed by the A-listers.

[McManus]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

I sort of like the idea of Super Clubs rather than mega teams. That is a club like the British clubs business sand gentlemen belonged to in Victorian times. These clubs had a meeting hall with social facilities such as bars, restaurants, and game rooms; as well as, and sports facilities, showers, steam rooms, and occasional rooms to stay in. Membership was restricted in most, with some sort of sponsorship required to join. Most clubs had a theme of some sort and attracted people with similar interests and backgrounds. Membership could be quite large. The JLU (animated series) seemed to fill this role to me. The satellite base seems to be the place for random supers to meet, greet, hang out, exercise, and have a meal. If they also happen to team up to fight a crime or two, that is cool. That is the thing they have in common.

 

I could readily see that sort of organization taking root in a Supers rich world. Probably more than one – a alien theme one, a tech theme one, a teen theme one, a magic theme one, maybe a super-normal theme one. Some heroes would belong to more than one club at a time and would participate based on their mood or mission.

[wrestlinggeek]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

I could see an "officially" large, or even huge, super-group actually operating as several smaller "sub-groups." Look at any social group you've evr been part of. Let's take my experience in the Boy Scouts, as an example: There were about 60 of us in my Troop. However, I had 4 or 5 friends I hung out with all the time and worked with. There were other, similar "cliques" (for lack of a better term) in the Troop. There was some cross-over, and we all worked together on Troop projects, but when it came to socializing, it was usually just my buddies and me. I can see super-teams operating this way, perhaps with each "sub-team" even picking their own name.

[OddHat]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

In my own campaign, the OSI co-ordinates all government employed and privately licensed Metahumans in the USA. The OSI also operates the New Statesmen program, assigning Supers to teams in major cities across the USA. Officially the New Statesmen program maintains 52 teams. Each team is placed in an at-risk city, usually the largest city in a given state, and operates in co-operation with the municipal and state government. Many cities, resenting the OSI's choice to "snub" them, provide matching funding and other benefits to volunteer or private super teams. These teams are rarely as high powered or well known as the New Statesmen teams, but there are exceptions. Most Supers start out without government sponsorship, but those who keep adventuring past their early twenties will usually take it; others either retire, enter private industry, or try to use their superheroics as a path to success in the entertainment industry. More than one infomercial host is an ex-Superhero. Super-criminals will sometimes take government employment in exchange for a reduced sentence or as a condition for parole. Only the most powerful Supers, Hero or Criminal, can keep adventuring for more than a few years without joining an organization that can provide support.

 

Super Criminals tend to be young, mentally ill, or to have been part of a crime family long before they gained their powers. More end up retiring or getting killed in action than end up in prison.

 

The largest single Super Team in the world is the Order of Saint George, operating out of Vatican City under the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.

[BNakagawa]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

This raises some interesting questions. It certainly explains why high-tech, alien, and mutant heroes would be more common in the industrialized world. Conversely one could ask where are the masters of secret knowledge, martial artists, and mystical amalgams more likely to originate – Kalamazoo or Katmandu?

 

This could be an interesting split in the super world.

 

Every population has their own mystic tradition. Imported slaves, trans siberian landbridge migrants, puritan immigrants, they all bring their own traditions that could be used as the genesis for mystic background supers.

 

Secret Knowledge? From monastaries in tibet to the masonic lodge in San Francisco, there's no monopoly on this sort of thing in the industrialized nations or the ones where modern living means being wired for electricity.

 

Martial arts? Martial arts is wherever you find it. Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco. He went to college in Washington. One of his pupils was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He tought Jeet Kun Do to A list actors and a hall of fame basketball player. He was widely regarded as the best martial artist in the world. Some say in the history of the world. Go figure.

[Trained Chicken]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

Dude, everyone knows that the only reason Superheroes form teams is, when they're walking down the street and someone starts snickering at them, they can imagine that they're snickering at someone else in the group.

 

At least I thought everyone knew that.

[OddHat]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

Dude' date=' everyone knows that the only reason Superheroes form teams is, when they're walking down the street and someone starts snickering at them, they can imagine that they're snickering at someone [i']else[/i] in the group.

 

At least I thought everyone knew that.

 

Supers have teams because it dramatically increases your chances of:

 

1) Someone you find attractive hanging around you in body paint and a g-string.

 

2) Someone in the group owning a really cool car.

 

3) Someone in the group having a mansion you can crash in.

 

4) Someone in the group having a costume with pockets.

 

[zornwil]

Re: Super Teams Compete!

 

In our own game, one of the PCs formed BOOM, which I forget the acronym's meaning, but anyway, it's a global organization of supers formed in order to do quick reaction to natural disasters and so on. It is open to all supers with no serious criminal record (or at least, if so, a very clear record of having turned over a new leaf), so already numbers in the hundreds, with supers ranging from pretty powerful to niche. It is both a public relations vehicle for mutants in general as well as essentially a charitable fast-reaction disaster management team.

 

Bear in mind there is no UN organization and the UN is largely impotent. National governments have various degrees of supers ability, though traditionally weak outside the US, USSR, and China (the older EEC and the newer EC made multiple attempts at a pan-European league with mixed results over time, now the Justice League of Europe has just formed as super-teams are back in vogue).