A 'realistic' supers world?

[nexus]

Re: A 'realistic' supers world?

 

If he has enough political support to use violence against his fellow politicians and get away with it, he doesn't need super powers. Stalin did fine without.

 

Moving away from this tangent, to paraphrase Ken Hite's excellent article on this subject in Wild Talents, "realism" is almost never really the issue when discussing worlds with magic, aliens, super science, and men who can run faster than light. We're usually really discussing "adult targeted story telling" versus "child targeted story telling", "pessimistic" versus "optimistic", or more generally arguing tastes.

 

Trying to convince someone that the bands he likes suck, while the bands you like rock, is as close to a pure waste of time as it gets. That we continue to do it says something interesting about the real nature of Internet posts.

 

I had a post in mind but Oddhat said it much better so...Repped

 

and I really have to get my hands on a copy of Wild Talents.

[Certified]

Re: A 'realistic' supers world?

 

If he has enough political support to use violence against his fellow politicians and get away with it, he doesn't need super powers. Stalin did fine without.

 

Stepping away from the analogy this is part of the point I was trying to make.

 

Moving away from this tangent, to paraphrase Ken Hite's excellent article on this subject in Wild Talents, "realism" is almost never really the issue when discussing worlds with magic, aliens, super science, and men who can run faster than light. We're usually really discussing "adult targeted story telling" versus "child targeted story telling", "pessimistic" versus "optimistic", or more generally arguing tastes.

 

Again, I would like to agree with this. In my previous post I tried to avoid the ideas of good or evil but more the ramifications of one's actions. Just because one can does not mean that they will. I think part of the mature story is to generating motivations that although people may not agree with can at some point say okay, I see the rational, not simply stating that something is because it is.

[jkwleisemann]

Re: A 'realistic' supers world?

 

If he has enough political support to use violence against his fellow politicians and get away with it, he doesn't need super powers. Stalin did fine without.

 

Moving away from this tangent, to paraphrase Ken Hite's excellent article on this subject in Wild Talents, "realism" is almost never really the issue when discussing worlds with magic, aliens, super science, and men who can run faster than light. We're usually really discussing "adult targeted story telling" versus "child targeted story telling", "pessimistic" versus "optimistic", or more generally arguing tastes.

Not having read Ken Hite's article, I can't speak to it directly, but I'd like to say that I agree entirely, given the usual arguments about realism (another thing to keep in mind... there is no one realistic interpretation of a genre!)

 

The setting I was setting up above is, to *my* mind, pretty much the realistic standard of what would happen if superpowers were to manifest, oh, today.

 

You *would* have people adopting the terms 'superhero' and 'supervillain' to describe individuals; they're terms that exist in the modern lexicon and would be applied to people the majority of the populace felt they applied to. Some people would dress up in costumes, armored and otherwise, to use their powers - again, it's a phenomenon familiar to modern individuals, some of whom would do it for a mix of practical reasons and because "that's what they're supposed to do."

 

Would some metahumans conquer nations? Sure. Would some be recruited by tin-pot dictators who want to maintain their power? Of course. Would world powers with massive militaries fall to the power of metahumans unopposed? Not bloody likely.

 

Sure, the USA wouldn't have script immunity, just as the supers wouldn't... but remember the *effect* of nobody having script immunity. Eventually, the established government will step up its response until it succeeds at finding a way to defend itself. It'll be a while before they move up to WMD's, but how many superheroes - even in the comics, where they tend to be rather more powerful than most logical approaches to such a world would put them - can suck down a nuke and shrug it off?

 

Eventually, somebody would be desperate enough to find out whether or not the bad guy can take it, possibly somebody from another nation who suspects they'll be next on the menu... or who wants to take the opportunity to make a 'justifiable' strike against an enemy and then move in themselves. A conquering supervillain must be willing and able to take on not only a conventional army, but everything that everybody watching this can/would throw at him... which would probably, eventually, include nukes. Even if they don't go that far, he's not the only super out there, and if you can put together a few dozen folks who want to be heroes and are willing to take him down hard... the odds tend to favor the defenders.

 

As for superpowers manifesting further back historically... oh, Hell yeah, the world would almost certainly be *vastly* different!

 

That's why I, for one, typically approach such worlds by making the following core assumption:

 

"Superpowers are fairly new."

 

Basically, the world hasn't changed that much because there hasn't been *time* to change that much. Just enough time that some interesting tidbits have come up, and not enough that, say, flying cars have become an every day reality... or that MegaImmortal has had time to set himself up as President for Life of a major nation by manipulating its political system and Conquering Khan has had time to set up the infrastructure and physical might necessary to waltz over a continent.

 

As for how things play out... well, that's core assumption #2:

 

"People default to what they feel is in their best interests."

 

For some people, that's robbing a bank. For some people, it's conquering Akron. For others, it's becoming an insta-celebrity by publically thwarting groups #1 and 2. For others, it's taking the job of corporate 'superhero' for a nice paycheck, a relatively cushy job, and popularity. For others, it's living their lives much the way they have been, occasionally using their gifts in ways they find handy, like convincing that cop to let them off with a warning.

 

To assume that folks with superpowers wouldn't care about what normal people think would assume that people who develop powers in the middle of their lives will suddenly jar themselves out of years - decades - of upbringing as homo sapiens and spontaneously decide that they're homo superior. It just doesn't make sense on a widespread level, not to the extent necessary to maintain it as a widespread movement.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: A 'realistic' supers world?

 

Many supers would find a way to use their powers to make an honest living in industry or entertainment. 'Super' life coaches with tremendous charisma, welders with laser eyes, artists (sculptors, plastic surgeons) with transmutation powers, healers, etc. Others would use them as an edge to help them along, like super-persuasive lawyers, bulletproof soldiers, mind-reading therapists, and horticulturists with 'super green thumbs' for instance. If you're about the buck, there's lots of ways to make it besides crime, even if your power is invisibility--heck, you could probably charge just to demonstrate some powers.

[jkwleisemann]

Re: A 'realistic' supers world?

 

Yep - honestly, I figure that's the vast majority of metahumans. It's safe, legal, and they can feel good about themselves... all while making an easy buck. What's not to love?

[Diamond_J]

Re: A 'realistic' supers world?

 

Sounds good to me

 

The only thing that jars me about comics these days is that nobody stays dead. It diminishes the impact of a story when one writer undermines the work of another. If Superman stayed dead people would always remember how he went out, and those issues would be worth some money. DC brings him back from the dead and the sales drop off, then nobody cares about the character anymore.

 

Sure in Sups case a revival was planed from the moment they snuffed him out, but there are other examples; Gwen Stacey and Bucky. These were the characters that people would point to and say, see look there are permanent and impactfull changes in comics.

 

I think the biggest impact of a "realistic" game would be to stick with the changes made with characters and the world. Don't change Arachnid Guys powers three times only to retcon him into a loser who still lives with his uncle ray. Also don't have your character go through a rebirth experience twice in the span of several months.

 

I guess what I'm saying is I would like to punnnnch Marvel in the sack for ruining Spiderman.

 

That's what we were talking about, right?

[jkwleisemann]

Re: A 'realistic' supers world?

 

Well... not exactly... but I have to say that it's probably a move most of us could get behind.

 

But I know what you mean. The resurrection/retcon incidents would be something that'd have to be watched carefully. If resurrection does play in, it should danged well make real sense.

[Diamond_J]

Re: A 'realistic' supers world?

 

It would be cool if Marvel let characters grow old retire and die. I seriously wouldn't mind Spider-man retiring he's done it all. Characters like Wolverine could stick around for a while longer due to slow aging. The world would have a very clearly defined and quoteable history, which would have little need of retconing.

 

I know this will never happen but it would be cool just the same.

[Shoutybloke]

Re: A 'realistic' supers world?

 

If you really want to rule the world, may I suggest the following 60 point power...

 

 

Super Politioco!

+20 with persuasion, oratory and PS: politician

 

 

[Diamond_J]

Re: A 'realistic' supers world?

 

If you really want to rule the world, may I suggest the following 60 point power...

 

 

Super Politioco!

+20 with persuasion, oratory and PS: politician

 

 

Nice, but no matter how good your skills got there'd always be somebody to appose you. This I imagine is why the Authority have crazy ridiculous power.

 

I'd also throw +40 PRESENCE in for good mesure