Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

[BlueCloud2k2]

Is anyone using current events in the Champions campaign? I was thinking about using the Oil Spill in the gulf-coast as a plot thread. Here were my thoughts:

 

1. Telios anounces over the internet that he has bio-engineerer a petrol-phage bacterium that gobbles up the oil and sequesters most of the carbon by feeding it to a symbiotic algea, thus the only bi-product is hydrogen gas. He offers to sell the petrol-phage to the US Gov't in exchange for a) A massive amount of capital to be transfered to his over-seas accounts or genetic samples from every single super-hero in the USA.
   
2. The Atlanteans have had it with the surface-worlders polluting their oceans and declare war upon the human race. The number of shark-attacks quintuples overnight, whales are ramming shipping and ocean liners, and fishing trawlers are being attacked by giant squid.
   
3. Corporation X was illegally dumping toxic waste in a costal swamp/atoll. The oil washes ashore and mixes with the waste, causing bacterium in the waste to mutate. The bacterium spread accross the oil patches, causing them to change into goopy creatures that are begining to attack people and devour them (a la The Blob).
   
4. Oil wasn't the only thing that escaped from the ruptured oil pipes. An evil older than Takofanes was slumbering beneith the ocean floor. Now its tomb has been breached and it is slowly seeping into the ocean, ready to once more consume all in its path...
   

Any thoughts?

[薔薇語]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

I like all those ideas, Bluecloud. Especially the one with Telios as he is my fav. Champion's Villain. Why not mix and match a few of them, though?

 

The oil spill occurs but what appears to be standard oil is anything but. It is psychicly charged (ala Ghost Buster's goo). Almost harmless on its own but it is starting to creep near a populated beach (animal and human populations). As it gets closer, and larger for that matter, the psychics of the world start to have a weary sense of panic over take them. A panic mixed with heightened awareness and ability.

 

Telios is unaware of this but operates under his already stated M.O.. He sets forth his new creation to consume the "oil" and it does it remarkably well. Too well. The stuff soaks up the oil like a spung to water. Quickly though, it gets introduced into the food chain and the goo spreads in a way it would never have done before. Worse yet, Telios, unaware of the oil's true nature, didn't think to check all the junk DNA in his new creation. It doesn't take long for the psychic energies to act upon it and cause horrifying mutations up the food chain. So starts the adventure: "The Zoo from hell!"

 

The PCs must fight to protect a world under attack from creatures that might as well of come out of Evolution. They must still seek to stop the leak before the various psychics go mad. Even Menton's powers are increasing and his rather cool demeanor fading under the strain; he even situated himself on the other side of the world just to be safe but it isn't helping much. And what the PCs learn is that if they destroy the source in its entirety, they run the chance of ridding the world of all but the most powerful psychics as this goo serves as an amplifier and always has.

 

And lets not forget the evil corps and various baddies. Not everyone likes the idea of the Heroes getting rid of this new source of psychic power. Surely if they could harness it properly, they could use it to amplify their psychics without helping others. Or maybe even convert a norm into a psy.

 

That's what I have so far. It is just taking what BlueCloud listed and going with it a little.

 

Enjoy,

 

La Rose.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

[*]Oil wasn't the only thing that escaped from the ruptured oil pipes. An evil older than Takofanes was slumbering beneith the ocean floor. Now its tomb has been breached and it is slowly seeping into the ocean, ready to once more consume all in its path...

 

Now that you mention, The Murk from Hidden Lands would fit this scenario perfectly. Once he was the Atlantean mage Horgan, an ally of Dalsith the Orphan who became the terrible Sharna-Gorak the Destroyer. Horgan barely survived Dalsith's ritual to draw power from the Qliphothic realms, but was buried beneath the sea in the destruction of Atlantis. Over the millennia Horgan's comatose body transformed from those foul energies into a demonic amphibious creature who controls a form of magical darkness that can seem liquid or solid at his will, and which terrifies those it touches. He can also command predatory sea creatures.

 

Physically powerful and hideous, the Murk has little of his original personality or knowledge left, and exists to spread terror and death. He does still retain a deep instinctive hatred for the descendants of Atlantis.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

Now that you mention' date=' [b']The Murk[/b] from Hidden Lands would fit this scenario perfectly. Once he was the Atlantean mage Horgan, an ally of Dalsith the Orphan who became the terrible Sharna-Gorak the Destroyer. Horgan barely survived Dalsith's ritual to draw power from the Qliphothic realms, but was buried beneath the sea in the destruction of Atlantis. Over the millennia Horgan's comatose body transformed from those foul energies into a demonic amphibious creature who controls a form of magical darkness that can seem liquid or solid at his will, and which terrifies those it touches. He can also command predatory sea creatures.

 

Physically powerful and hideous, the Murk has little of his original personality or knowledge left, and exists to spread terror and death. He does still retain a deep instinctive hatred for the descendants of Atlantis.

 

Wheras I didn't know the specifics, that is basically what I had in mind.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

Alternately, the dispersant that BP introduced to reduce the effects of the oil spill might be a catalyst for something very bad. Perhaps Telios, upset that the US rejected his petrol-phage offer, decided to sabotage the cleanup efforts by releasing chemical/biological agents within the spill that are normally dormant but will cause major problems in the presence of the dispersant. Or maybe they didn't test the dispersant very well, and it will have unintended consequences all on its own. (Which may be the case in reality.)

 

Personally, I like the Atlantean idea over the Telios one. Maybe the dispersant causes illness/death among Atlanteans -- they consider it a weapon of mass destruction, so they decide to respond in kind. ("It's bad enough that you pollute so wantonly, but then to willfully release such agents of death..."

 

On a side note, it's often fun to introduce current events to the game. After the big blackout of the northeast in 2003, I ran an adventure where the heroes ended up accidentally triggering the blackout to stop Mechanon. The looks on the players' faces when the power went out, and they noticed it was out *everywhere*, was priceless. Hey, I warned them that what they wanted to do might cause an overload...

[BlueCloud2k2]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

I think I am going to go with multiple plot threads tied into the Oil-Spill. Most of them will be background information, but one of them will be actually something the PC's will need to deal with.

 

1. BP pays Telios to release his petrol-phage. The Phagi are microscopic insects that have VERY fast breeding cycle (they reach maturity withini 24 hours and lay large-clusters of eggs). They consume the oil and produce enzymes that break the hydro-carbons down into their base componants, allowing the ATP cycle to occur. The Phagi are also hosts to a fast-growing symbiotic matte-black-algae. The algae absorb sunlight and produce heat, fueling the Petrol-ATP conversion. They also sequester the released CO2 from the Phagi. When the Phagi run out of petrol to consume, they go dormant until they drift into another oil spill. Unfortunately... the spilled crude is not run-of-the-mill oil...
   
2. The Murk was slumbering beneith the Gulf Floor as the shale slowly turned to oil, decaying his body as he lay dormant. His essence survide, spreading into the crude oil, tainting it. Exposed to the sun once more, the essence of The Murk is awake once more - though it has been reduced to wanting nothing more than to consume all life and spread as far as it can. But The Murk is not yet ready to strike - much of its essense is still trapped beneith the sea-floor, slowy leeching into the ocean and up to the surface. But these insignificant bugs are eating the Murk! It must act swiftly if it is to be completely free and spread itself accross the land...
   
3. Chimera Pharmacuticals once had a research station on a small island just off of the coast of Florida. No one alive knows what happened there, as the research station was shut down in the 90s following the bizzare deaths of everyone working there. Rumour has it that Chimera was working on creating a radiation resistant form of life and the radiologicals leaked out of containment, killing the scientists... Now the crude oil has washed ashore, containing both the Petrol-phagi and the essences of the Murk. What will happen when you cross genetically engineered insects, the essence of a great evil and radioactive waste?
   

What do you think? Are these a bit over the top? I can never tell

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

I would just make two cautionary observations:

 

1) There are two kinds of foes for supers: those that can be defeated by punching them in the face (or comparable body part); and those that the heroes have to discover the weakness/origin of to overcome. If you do choose the second course, I would still recommend connecting something to it for the PCs to punch along the way. That leads to...

 

2) You have several factors contributing to this crisis, which is fine if PCs have to unravel the chain of events to understand what's happening; but I recommend you choose one factor to be the clear key to understanding and stopping this monstrosity, or the players may become confused and frustrated.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

Lord Liaden, sending you a private message with the details of my plans.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

Another quick idea: someone (maybe Harmon Industries) designs a machine that can be mounted to a boat that sails through the crude, sucks it up and spits out the water while keeping the crud er... crude.

[Nevenall]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

The oil spill is ready made for one of my villains. He has a submarine, the expertise, and he would have done it to scare people into demanding an end to off shore oil drilling.

[Hawknight]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

Perfect time to bring back the Aquans from 3rd edition. Just the scenario to use Nereid for full effect. They could be used to attack the governing board of BP to make an example for all companies who are ocean drilling that they will be held accountable.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: Using Current events: The Gulf Oil Spill

 

Why cave in to Teleios? Real superheroes will find a way to cap the spill themselves!

 

This would make a good premise for a new team, too: We need an oil hydrology expert, a deep sea diving expert, a brick who can stand super high pressure, and a telekinetic who can work with liquids....