I'm Starting My First Cyber-Hero Game

[Dust Raven]

I've played and run games in the Hero System before, but I've most often played Champions. I've played Fantasy Hero and space opera Star Hero as well, and the occasional Dark Champions game. What I have played a LOT of is Cyberpunk 2020 (and Cybergenerations). So I know the genre. What I'm not too sure of is how to model things in the rules. I can probably figure that out on my own, and I have plenty of time to set things up, but it'll be good to have a starting point or some kind of baseline.

 

Here's a brief-as-I-can-get-it description of the setting:

 

In February 2011, the Final Battle was fought in the streets of Edge City. DEMON's plot to set free the Kings of Edom had failled, but at the cost of unleashing the Dragon is their place. As the Dragon woke, Arcadia (Faerie) was destroyed. The cosmic metaphor here is the Dragon represents the collective evil and selfishness of mankind; the manifestation of the ultimate villain, while Arcadia represents mankind's hopes and aspirations; the manifestation of their heroes. With the Dragon loose and Arcadia destroyed, there was nothing to keep the Dragon in check. The world need a new legend. A team of superheroes assembled, inspired mankind into believing in them, and thus through their own sudden rise to legendary status narrowly defeated the Dragon.

 

While the new legendary heroes defeated the Dragon, they did so just barely. And so the hopes and dreams of humanity returned, but only barely. Superheroes slowly vanished from the world and stories about them faded into a hazy memory. The world is bleak, jaded and dark, as if the touch of the Dragon never fully went away.

 

Now the year is 2031. There are no superheroes, though some people still possess superpowers. Magic seems not to exist. Earth's link to the Astral Plane and the Inner Planes is all but severed. Psions and the cybernetically enhanced are about the only superhumans left, though a few with super strength, regeneration and a few other odd powers can be found from time to time.

 

The campaign is intended to be very low end superheroes (150 base + 100 disads). The characters are primarily the children of the legendary superheroes of the previous campaign, inheriting some of their parents powers if psionic, or relying on special training, gadgets or cybernetics if not.

 

For villains, I'm looking to use PSI and VIPER a lot as organizations. My version of PSI is a little different. In my world, PSI was never exposed and stayed in the shadows, their telepathic agents becoming the infamous Men in Black no one remembers seeing. The idea is for this to be something closer to a superhero game, but with street level supers/heroes set in a cyberpunk-ish setting.

 

Any suggestions as to what I can use for plot fodder/inspiration? Ideas for a more modern type of netrunning experience (since it turns out the Internet doesn't work quite the way it was described in Cyberpunk)? The mechanics/rules I'm pretty sure I've got; what I need are ideas.

 

Thanks.

[Vondy]

Re: I'm Starting My First Cyber-Hero Game

 

Any suggestions as to what I can use for plot fodder/inspiration? Ideas for a more modern type of netrunning experience (since it turns out the Internet doesn't work quite the way it was described in Cyberpunk)?

 

I've been contemplating some coming technologies for a story I'm writing.

 

1) Programmable sub-dermal tattoos: the primary use at present would be to monitor health conditions, like diabetes, but at least one company is working on a body art version. There are two technologies being explored: a layer grafted under the skin (better for the first), or a tattoo made of up micro-dots that would work like an LCD, and would need to be connected to a chip. Whether it would run on body-energy, or require some sort of bio-active gel or battery implant I don't know.

 

2) Printable computers: already done on modern car engines (though these are basic) some futurists think computers will be printed on clothes, or be a layer in clothes; perhaps this could be combined with the above - printed on the flesh, or on a sub-dermal layer.

 

3) Sign-language computer interface. I read an article about a project some kid did recently (an undergrad) who created this very thing. You can sign and the computer word processes. Its obviously generation 1, but it wouldn't take much to push it farther.

 

Take all three and you pretty much have a built in computer - and you can use your body for the monitor and a touch-screen, plus signing. Give this body-computer an interface with a hearing aid like device, a vocalization device, and some contacts with a laser-heads up display, and you are set to go. Presumably you'll be jacked into the global information-net.

 

Also, we may be moving to a strange sort of oral tradition in the future - the proliferation of audio-visual information may render text less common, with a combination of pictographs/symbols and AV being the norm. Perhaps we'll experience a trend that takes us full circle, as it were.

[WilyQuixote]

Re: I'm Starting My First Cyber-Hero Game

 

I'm betting veterans of the hero boards such as you two gentlemen are already aware of this but I'll post a link to Shrike's MetaCyber stuff anyways. Sounds like it will be a natural and easy fit for your campaign. Enjoy!

 

 

http://www.killershrike.com/MetaCyber/MetaCyber.shtml

[Mister E]

Re: I'm Starting My First Cyber-Hero Game

 

Dust Raven, the game sounds tres cool. I love how you are using PSI.

 

Take all three and you pretty much have a built in computer - and you can use your body for the monitor and a touch-screen' date=' plus signing. Give this body-computer an interface with a hearing aid like device, a vocalization device, and some contacts with a laser-heads up display, and you are set to go. Presumably you'll be jacked into the global information-net. [/quote']

 

I like how non-invasive these applications are. Seems elegant to me. "Fashionware."

 

Wearable wireless biofeedback sensors linked to remote databases would be medically invaluable. No more 'crystal ball'-type diagnoses by doctors lacking needed data.

 

Also' date=' we may be moving to a strange sort of oral tradition in the future - the proliferation of audio-visual information may render text less common, with a combination of pictographs/symbols and AV being the norm. Perhaps we'll experience a trend that takes us full circle, as it were. [/quote']

 

"Print is dead" ~ Dr. Egon Spengler

 

I imagine eventually, with the quickening of real-time information processing and the seemingly fantastical concept of living virtual databases, we should be able to simply ask questions of the air and get reliable immediate answers, no matter when or where we are. Basically, continuous access to a global net of virtual contacts.

 

Talk about a domesticated humanity...

 

OT:

 

When I was a kid, I used to break into my elementary school's gymnasium with friends, and play with the equipment (don't tell my mom). Big Brother and motion sensors put a stop to that kind of dangerous, unsupervised hooliganry. Now kids are safe at home, improving their communication skills by playing World of Warcraft.

 

I can hardly conceive of the early life my dad had, growing up in the twenties and thirties. There are major trade-offs; but (with all due respect and admiration to the Roma community) in the end, I feel a bit gypped. At least I still have my tonsils. It's from him, mostly, that I got my deep appreciation for books.

 

I have no idea how accurate the statistics in the following link are... but my gut tells me enough: http://www.humorwriters.org/startlingstats.html

 

1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.

 

42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.

 

80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.

 

70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.

 

57 percent of new books are not read to completion.

 

70 percent of books published do not earn back their advance.

 

70 percent of the books published do not make a profit.

[Dust Raven]

Re: I'm Starting My First Cyber-Hero Game

 

I'm not sure how reliable those statistics are. Coming from a publishing company, I suppose they'd be fairly accurate, but I don't know how sound their research is. If it's even close that's a sad, sad state. Not counting RPGs and textbooks for school, I read several books a year. Around 5-10, which I consider a rather small number. Granted it's closer to 20-30 after I include the others .

 

It's a good source to look for trends though. I'll need to take that into account for the type of technology that'll be available and the methods used to convey information in the future. I've been watching 2057 for additional ideas as well.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: I'm Starting My First Cyber-Hero Game

 

I'm betting veterans of the hero boards such as you two gentlemen are already aware of this but I'll post a link to Shrike's MetaCyber stuff anyways. Sounds like it will be a natural and easy fit for your campaign. Enjoy!

 

 

http://www.killershrike.com/MetaCyber/MetaCyber.shtml

As WilyQ says, my MetaCyber material is similar to what you are talking about. You might find some things of use to you there.

 

However, I consider it to be more of an Action / Adventure campaign, and thus the main thread for it on these boards is under Dark Champions, here:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38087