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A DC Animated-style HeroMachine


Theron

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

 

Now well into his nineties, American President for Life John F. Kennedy effectively rules the world. Everyone in America is happy with the state of things—or if they're not happy, they don't say anything

 

Taking his code name from an American heavy bomber from World War II, Marcus now fights for the salvation and restoration of America as ...

 

 

Quote: "In the 1940's, America helped liberate the world from tyranny. Now, in the twenty-first century, it's time to liberate America!"

 

 

One of these days I'll try and run that campaign. *sigh* I hate games the don't even make it to the first session.

 

For those that recognize some of the history, it is a variation of the "Brave New World" game.

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

And now for a little alternate history:

 

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot and critically wounded, but survived. When the would-be assassin was revealed to be a communist sympathizer, the Red Scare of the 50's returned to the United States with a vengeance. All the old paranoia returned, matched only by the outcry that something be done to make the country safer. In the midst of this political climate, President Kennedy, now confined to a wheelchair by his injuries, oversaw the transformation of the nation into the single dominant political and military power in the world.

 

Fueled by outrage in the international community and unprecedented sympathy back home, Kennedy began America's War of Liberation against Communism. Under American military and technical leadership, the New Allied Nations drove the Communists from power in North Korea, North Vietnam, and most of the Warsaw Pact nations. Chairman Mao was forced to abdicate in China, and Chiang Kai-shek was installed as President in a pro-American government. Finally, in 1979, the Soviet Union collapsed and fractured into more than a dozen individual nations, all of them desperately seeking alliances with America.

 

Enjoying unparalleled prestige and popularity, Kennedy had also moved to consolidate his power base back home. The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution overturned the Twenty-second Amendment in 1967, allowing President Kennedy to run for President in '68 and again in '72. He won both elections easily. By 1976 his newly-formed American Freedom Party had supplanted both the Republicans and the Democrats, and by 1984 he was making his quadrennial run for the Presidency effectively unopposed. In 1992, before cheering crowds, he declared himself President for Life.

 

Since then, the American Freedom Party has ruled politics in the United States with the proverbial iron fist. The government-sponsored press, the nationalized economy, and the largest military in world history are all answerable directly to President Kennedy. Crime is virtually nonexistent in the United States, as convicted criminals are shipped to prisons overseas and never seen in America again. Unemployment is unheard of; those without jobs are put to work building roads, bridges, power stations, and other projects essential to the nation's infrastructure. Those who will not work are deported.

 

In 2002, the American Union replaced the outdated United Nations as the world's premiere international organization. Those nations allied with the United States enjoy peace and prosperity. Those that aren't are crushed and left to fend for themselves.

 

Now well into his nineties, American President for Life John F. Kennedy effectively rules the world. Everyone in America is happy with the state of things—or if they're not happy, they don't say anything.

 

Late in 2006, a young and idealistic American history student named Marcus Norlander came to a startling conclusion: His country was no longer what he had always been taught that it was. It was not the country that had freed the world from the specter of Communism. It was the country that had supplanted Communism and taken over the world under the leadership of a despot. The Pax Americana was a lie.

 

That's when the 'accident' occurred. Marcus probably should have been killed in the explosion, but instead he gained superhuman powers: vast strength and resistance to injury, super-speed flight, and the ability to project blasts of pure force with devastating effect. Working with a small group of like-minded renegade heroes, he seeks to restore America to what it once was—and what it should be. Taking his code name from an American heavy bomber from World War II, Marcus now fights for the salvation and restoration of America as ...

 

Liber8or.png

 

The Liberator!

 

Quote: "In the 1940's, America helped liberate the world from tyranny. Now, in the twenty-first century, it's time to liberate America!"

:thumbup::thumbup:
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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

A powerful man whose wealth, influence, intelligence, and absolute control over flames makes him a dangerous enemy for the heroes of Campaign City:

 

ProfPyre.png

 

Professor Pyre!

 

You deserve Rep for the name alone. Sadly, I can't give you any. Will someone do the honors, please?

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

And now for a little alternate history:

 

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot and critically wounded, but survived. When the would-be assassin was revealed to be a communist sympathizer, the Red Scare of the 50's returned to the United States with a vengeance. All the old paranoia returned, matched only by the outcry that something be done to make the country safer. In the midst of this political climate, President Kennedy, now confined to a wheelchair by his injuries, oversaw the transformation of the nation into the single dominant political and military power in the world.

 

Fueled by outrage in the international community and unprecedented sympathy back home, Kennedy began America's War of Liberation against Communism. Under American military and technical leadership, the New Allied Nations drove the Communists from power in North Korea, North Vietnam, and most of the Warsaw Pact nations. Chairman Mao was forced to abdicate in China, and Chiang Kai-shek was installed as President in a pro-American government. Finally, in 1979, the Soviet Union collapsed and fractured into more than a dozen individual nations, all of them desperately seeking alliances with America.

 

Enjoying unparalleled prestige and popularity, Kennedy had also moved to consolidate his power base back home. The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution overturned the Twenty-second Amendment in 1967, allowing President Kennedy to run for President in '68 and again in '72. He won both elections easily. By 1976 his newly-formed American Freedom Party had supplanted both the Republicans and the Democrats, and by 1984 he was making his quadrennial run for the Presidency effectively unopposed. In 1992, before cheering crowds, he declared himself President for Life.

 

Since then, the American Freedom Party has ruled politics in the United States with the proverbial iron fist. The government-sponsored press, the nationalized economy, and the largest military in world history are all answerable directly to President Kennedy. Crime is virtually nonexistent in the United States, as convicted criminals are shipped to prisons overseas and never seen in America again. Unemployment is unheard of; those without jobs are put to work building roads, bridges, power stations, and other projects essential to the nation's infrastructure. Those who will not work are deported.

 

In 2002, the American Union replaced the outdated United Nations as the world's premiere international organization. Those nations allied with the United States enjoy peace and prosperity. Those that aren't are crushed and left to fend for themselves.

 

Now well into his nineties, American President for Life John F. Kennedy effectively rules the world. Everyone in America is happy with the state of things—or if they're not happy, they don't say anything.

 

Late in 2006, a young and idealistic American history student named Marcus Norlander came to a startling conclusion: His country was no longer what he had always been taught that it was. It was not the country that had freed the world from the specter of Communism. It was the country that had supplanted Communism and taken over the world under the leadership of a despot. The Pax Americana was a lie.

 

That's when the 'accident' occurred. Marcus probably should have been killed in the explosion, but instead he gained superhuman powers: vast strength and resistance to injury, super-speed flight, and the ability to project blasts of pure force with devastating effect. Working with a small group of like-minded renegade heroes, he seeks to restore America to what it once was—and what it should be. Taking his code name from an American heavy bomber from World War II, Marcus now fights for the salvation and restoration of America as ...

 

Liber8or.png

 

The Liberator!

 

Quote: "In the 1940's, America helped liberate the world from tyranny. Now, in the twenty-first century, it's time to liberate America!"

 

A dystopia ruled by JFK? Wow. That's different.

 

You're doing so much to deserve rep, and I can't give you any... :cry:

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

One of these days I'll try and run that campaign. *sigh* I hate games the don't even make it to the first session.

 

For those that recognize some of the history, it is a variation of the "Brave New World" game.

 

No worries. I have almost as much fun designing the characters as I do playing them. :)

 

A dystopia ruled by JFK? Wow. That's different.

 

You're doing so much to deserve rep, and I can't give you any... :cry:

 

Thanks. I'd love to take the credit, but as LM pointed out, I pretty much just ripped off an existing work and changed it to fit the gaps in my memory.

 

On a tangential note: Lee Harvey Oswald did NOT shoot JFK. The assassination was carried out by agents of the Pentarchy who wanted to prevent Liberator's timeline from coming to pass. :sneaky:

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

And now for one of Liberator's teammates:

 

Esperanza Dominguez, the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrants, had reason to celebrate. Not only was it her 18th birthday, but she had just found out she'd been accepted to the college of her choice on a drama scholarship. She'd worked her whole high school career to learn the intricacies of the theatre, both on stage and behind the scenes. Now that knowledge was going to get her something her parents had always wanted for her, a college education. The family headed for a popular local restaurant to celebrate.

 

The restaurant was unusually crowded that night; there was hardly a table to be had. But the family was shown to a table at last and the celebration began in earnest. Then, just as quickly as it began, it was over. The restaurant lay in ruins with many of its customers dead-including Esperanza's family. Nobody really ever knew what hit them.

 

Esperanza was horrified by what she saw. Darkness overcame her, and she lost consciousness for a moment. When she recovered, she was even more horrified by the law enforcement agents who were beginning to arrive, wanting to detain and interrogate anyone who had survived the 'incident'. When the shooting started, she found that she was protected by the darkness that had overcome her. She fought back, but quickly realized she was outmatched. An opportune moment arose, and she made her escape.

 

Now Esperanza lives life on the run. She still tries to live as normally as possible, going to plays and musicals, keeping up with the news, and so forth. But most of her life is now dedicated to fighting the government that has made her an outcast, and trying to help some people along the way.

 

She now fights crime and injustice as...

 

NiteWind.png

 

Nightwind!

 

Quote: "Don't be afraid of the Dark. It can't hurt you...unless I let it."

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

why where they after nightwindoriginally?

 

That was the origin story of the campaign - I was going to have the heroes all there (for one reason or another) and the government forces detected multiple superpowered individuals. They attacked to either "recruit" or kill them (the Government tried to control all superhumans).

 

That was the event that brought them together, set them up as fugitives, and set them on a course to do something about the government.

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

and the reult was a massacre?

 

Things went badly. :)

The restaurant was destroyed, and the targets escaped.

That kind of thing happens with a despotic government who has control of the news.

The spin was going to be something about evil un-licensed superpowered people wreaking havoc.

 

It was a dystopian present alternate world game.

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

Thanks. I'd love to take the credit, but as LM pointed out, I pretty much just ripped off an existing work and changed it to fit the gaps in my memory.

 

On a tangential note: Lee Harvey Oswald did NOT shoot JFK. The assassination was carried out by agents of the Pentarchy who wanted to prevent Liberator's timeline from coming to pass. :sneaky:

 

A part of me would like to try and run a story/adventure in a world where JFK was killed by either (a) the Cult of the Scarlet Moon or (B) the Trismegistus Council as a Celtic sacred king-killing to bring prosperity to the land. And it worked, but now it needs a 'recharge', and, well...

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

George and Janet Black were a typical suburban family, with a modest home, a minivan, and three kids: Jack (17 years old), Samantha (14), and Daniel (13). They were on vacation one summer when their car's brakes failed and they rammed a tanker truck full of industrial chemicals. While the fact that they all survived was miraculous, even more incredible was the fact they they all gained superhuman powers as a result of their accident! As a family, they decided to use their new-found abilities for the good of their city. They now fight crime together as The Blackguards.

 

George, finding himself with superhuman strength and the ability to fly, dubbed himself Red Raider. Janet, with the ability to control and project fire, decided to call herself Blue Flame.

 

BGRedRdr.pngBGBluFlm.png

 

Red Raider and Blue Flame!

 

We'll get to the kids sometime in the next couple of days. ;)

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

George and Janet Black were a typical suburban family, with a modest home, a minivan, and three kids: Jack (17 years old), Samantha (14), and Daniel (13).

 

 

We'll get to the kids sometime in the next couple of days. ;)

 

And now, the rest of The Blackguards!

 

Jack, the oldest son, has gained not only a measure of superhuman strength, but also the ability to stretch his body. He has become the team's primary grappler, taking the code name Orange Crush.

 

Daniel, the youngest son, is a florakinetic, with control over plant growth and vegetation. He has taken the code name Green Thumb.

 

Samantha, the daughter, gained the ability to shrink to only a few centimeters in height. She calls herself Shrinking Violet.

 

BGOrgCrs.pngBGGrnThm.pngBGShrVio.png

 

Orange Crush, Green Thumb, and Shrinking Violet!

 

You know what they say: The family that fights crime together stays together! :thumbup:

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Re: A DC Animated-style HeroMachine

 

And now' date=' the rest of [b']The Blackguards[/b]!

 

Jack, the oldest son, has gained not only a measure of superhuman strength, but also the ability to stretch his body. He has become the team's primary grappler, taking the code name Orange Crush.

 

Daniel, the youngest son, is a florakinetic, with control over plant growth and vegetation. He has taken the code name Green Thumb.

 

Samantha, the daughter, gained the ability to shrink to only a few centimeters in height. She calls herself Shrinking Violet.

 

BGOrgCrs.pngBGGrnThm.pngBGShrVio.png

 

Orange Crush, Green Thumb, and Shrinking Violet!

 

You know what they say: The family that fights crime together stays together! :thumbup:

What, no dog with sonic barking powers named old yeller? Get it? Yeller? :ugly:

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