Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

[novi]

I've been mulling an idea over for a few days, and I thought I'd see where the minds here go with it. I'll lay out as much of the premise as I can. Then I'd appreciate feedback and thoughts on the matter, to flesh out the concept.

 

In this particular setting, most superheroes end up in the employ of corporations. This is a result of superheroes being held monetarily responsible for at least some of the damage they cause. Which quickly lead to almost mandatory insurance for anyone wanting to actively superhero. Which quickly became too expensive for most individuals to afford. So, unless you were independently wealthy or already famous enough to be merchandisable, the only option available was to find someone willing to pay for you to be a superhero. And the cost of insurance is well within the means of corporate advertising budgets. It has never been a perfect solution, since the priorities of the company don't always line up with the nature of being superheroes, but it is how the game is played.

 

(Well, you could join the police, but they don't bend too many rules for superhumans. Anyone working for them is a cop first, superhero second. And not everyone wants to be a police officer.)

 

Of course, after the system got rolling, the superhumans who are just in it for the money and fame came out of the woodwork. It was unavoidable, really, but they don't yet dominate the system.

 

I'm thinking a time frame of now-ish or so. Most superhumans are mutants (by the time people noticed them, X-Men had popularized the term and it has stuck despite repeated attempts to use a trademark free term), with most of the remainder due to classic radiation accidents. It's rounded out by super-tech and a few people claiming mystic/alien artifacts, despite no real evidence of magic or aliens in the world; investigations into their claims/items has proven inconclusive.

 

While there is some anti-mutant sentiment, it's directed at all superhumans. And while some of it is just fearful, racist dumbasses, much of it is actually from people who would be in the anti-gun movement in the real world. As such, gun laws are looser and the NRA has almost no political activities.

 

There are supervillains, as well. Many are just small time crooks and thugs with powers, doing dumb shit like robbing banks and forcing themselves upon attractive DNPCs. The bigger threat is from organized crime, since they have welcomed superhumans into their ranks. Most have continued their normal ways, though a few have mutated into HYDRA or AIM analogues. Also, there are several small countries around the world ruled by superhumans; while a couple are ruled well and have prospered, most have dictators doing about as well as real-world dictators do. Oh, and a few superhuman supremacist groups are out there, as one might expect.

 

Most superhumans are not heroes or villains. Most do not have powers suited to, or powerful enough for the job, while others would rather have a normal life and job. Also, the line between normal human ability and superhuman powers is blurry, which has caused no end of problems for sports associations. While obvious powers are banned in almost all sports, it is certain that some professional athletes have minor powers and abilities. (That is to say, power levels have an exponential distribution; many low powered individuals then smoothly tapering off to very few high-powered types)

 

While I am leery of putting hard numbers to this, for the sake of argument, in the US, let's say that about 1 in 100,000 people is obviously qualified to put on tights and fight (or commit) crime. And that the number of people with a noticeable superpower is between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 10,000. And while that last number holds around most of the world, much of Asia and Africa has much lower percentage of powerful mutants than the US and other first world countries.

 

And for the moment I will say that there is no mandatory mutant registration act or law in the US; which is not to say that governments can't have lists of mutants. They just have to limit themselves to people who have revealed themselves in a public area, and they can't force people to tell them their names just because they used powers. OTOH, the insurance companies are within their rights to get a reasonable accurate description of your powers. They don't have to have your real name, as long as you establish a consistent costumed persona with reasonable contact information.

 

Those are my thoughts so far; the key concept here being that most supers work for corporations and have to spend at least part of their time as corporate spokespeople. Everything else is negotiable. Let me know if there's anything that could use clarification. Otherwise, what do people think? And what other kinds of ramification might there be like the NRA being apolitical?

 

 

(And no, don't ask me about the game. I am good at settings, but bad at plots & pacing. Also, I don't find GMing to be that fun. Though, I can be talked into co-GMing.)

[Orion]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

I'm unclear why the NRA would be apolitical in this world. My main campaign world has a lot in common with yours, but I have the NRA and gun issues being more important, not less. Many people, especially those living in urban areas, hate guns on principle, and I just don't see that changing. If your mutants are held responsible for damages, then I would think gun owners would also be held responsible, and thus restrictions on one would tend to be mirrored on the other eventually.

 

If evil mutants cause problems, then some people are going to want personal weapons to defend themselves, and the NRA will get involved. At a certain level of problems, the kneejerk response from cities and law enforcement is to increase the limitations on weapons. The thinking will be that these limits will somehow impede criminals, and since they don't like the public to be armed anyway, they aren't going to worry about whether it actually works or not - they are finally able to remove weapons from the public. It's only when things get really, really bad that weapon ownership and use by the public will be accepted and encouraged, and I don't get the feeling your campaign is to that point.

[Orion]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

The immediate thing that comes to my mind is the lessened importance of law enforcement and possibly the military, as private corporations have started taking over many of their duties. If you get used to looking at Microsoft and their Captain Defender to take care of the problem, then traditional forces get marginalized. This could mean problems when they are forced to work together, or perhaps Microsoft now runs the local Redmond police department. Mercenaries are more common, and keeping track of who works for who at any given moment could be difficult. The bag guy you fought yesterday has now been hired to defend the city for 4 months, and could be given a pardon, or is untouchable during that time. Mind reading, clairvoyance, and precognition may or may not change law enforcement and spying.

 

If corporations are running mutants, I'd assume that some are getting them to help the corporation out in some way other than just publicity. The hero's response is slower to break-ins at a rival corporation, or maybe just happens to have a majority of big battles around the rival's HQ. Some probably run secret ops of dubious legality. It may be easier for the corporation to influence local government.

 

Create sport leagues, and maybe new sports, that require some sort of powers just to play. 3D football where flight is used instead of running. Wrestlers with superstrength. Certain jobs change - flying window washers, superstrength construction workers, deep-sea explorers.

[Christopher]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

What is the legal problem for a company to employ Superhuman? After all they can easily be as dangerous as alowing companies Military Grade Weapons.

 

With Orion's option of Cooporations taking over Military/Law Enforcement it could get easily a Shadowrun-Style universe.

 

With all those Enemy/Mecenary Supers the Military will have a serious problem fullfilling it's role, if it has not enough of them itself. On the other side you may need less tanks, ships and planes when they have enough superhumans in the Military.

 

Some countries rich on people but not resources (i.e. most European Countrys, especially Germany) could have a Meta "Overhead" - more metas than can be employed. Could they "lend"/"rent" them to other countries? (this is agains similar to shadowrun and the MET 2000)

[Roy_The_Ruthles]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

What do PCs do? Please say “fight super crime” and not “sit in a boardroom and make decisions on how super humans are to be dispatched (“advertise kool-aid is also unacceptable, unless you get to break down walls and yell “Oh Yeah!”).

 

It sounds like you have to pay to be a superhero, what with the property destruction. Clearly non-damaging heros (like telepaths) don’t have to sign up, unless you intend for there to be lots of legal fees.

 

Why do mutants become superheroes? What motivates them? It cant’ be money, because it costs to be a hero, it can’t be doing what the system cant’ do (e.g. vigilante style), since they are still part of the system. What is the advantage to working for a corporation rather than say, the government?

 

How exactly does super-law work?

[Clonus]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

What do PCs do? Please say “fight super crime” and not “sit in a boardroom and make decisions on how super humans are to be dispatched (“advertise kool-aid is also unacceptable, unless you get to break down walls and yell “Oh Yeah!”).

 

It sounds like you have to pay to be a superhero,

 

The corporate sponsors pay. Of course corporate espionage with superhuman operatives on hand becomes a rather cutthroat business it seems to me.

[sinanju]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

I always figured a lot of superhumans would gravitate to Hollywood. A lot of them could do stunts that normal humans couldn't, or could do them far more easily and safely. Those who don't look human could no doubt find work (assuming they can act at all) as aliens or monsters--no time-consuming make-up needed.

 

Need someone to take a 20-story fall? Or get run over by a car? Indestructible Guy is willing to do it, and he won't need insurance. Need someone to get set on fire? Human Torch is your man.

[csyphrett]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

Sounds like Tiger and Bunny, Novi. If you can track it down, you might be able to mine it for ideas.

CES

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

On the one hand I think this is a neat idea, especially with all the big business power grabs that happen in the real world. On the other hand, I don't really see why most corporations would bother having supers on their staff unless their powers allowed them to be ultra-efficient at making product (or conducting espionage). I have had "corporate" superteams in other campaigns before, but only associated with various media conglomerates who could easily capitalize on their escapades. So what is the rationale for companies to have these potentially high-risk employees?

 

Also, I think the NRA would be even more powerful in this world. If the NRA can argue that people need guns to defend themselves against normal criminals, they will argue that people need rocket launchers to defend against super criminals. The logic might be flawed, but the emotions raised by the argument will lead to a pretty broad application of the Second Amendment.

[Nuclear Fridge]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

Look at the background of the first RoboCop movie: the OCP corporation takes over running the 'non-profit' Police Department from the City. Things go from bad to worse, because the company needs to get the books into the black -- so the cops don't get back-up when they need it...

...The same thing could easily happen to MultiTech Systems' on-call team of "heroes". If they don't like it, well, that's too bad. Take a look at the fine print on the contracts you guys signed. MultiTech owns your butts... as well as your intellectual properties.

 

The only supers I could see being popular with the big firms would be telepaths and remote-viewers who can spy on rival firms' research labs.

[Lucius]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

What do PCs do? Please say “fight super crime” and not “sit in a boardroom and make decisions on how super humans are to be dispatched (“advertise kool-aid is also unacceptable, unless you get to break down walls and yell “Oh Yeah!”).

 

 

Character Name Kool Aid Man

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Val Char Points Roll

30 STR 20 15-

13 DEX 6 12-

18 CON 8 13-

8 INT -2 11-

13 EGO 3 12-

30+20 PRE 20 15- / 19-

 

5 OCV 10

4 DCV 5

3 OMCV 0

3 DMCV 0

4 SPD 20

 

15 PD 8

15 ED 8

10 REC 6

30 END 2

13 BODY 3 Total Cost

30 STUN 5 119

 

 

 

EXPERIENCE POINTS

Base Points 400

Total Experience Earned 0

Experience Spent 0

Experience Unspent 0

 

VITAL INFORMATION

HTH damage (STR/5)d6: 6d6

Lift: 1600.0kg STR END Cost: 3

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

 

Base OCV 5 Base DCV 4

Base OMCV 3 Base DMCV 3

 

Combat Skill levels:

Presence Attack (PRE/5)d6: 6d6 / 10d6

 

MOVEMENT

Type Combat Noncombat

Run (12m) 9m 18m

Swim (4m) 4m 8m

H. Leap (4m) 4m 8m

V. Leap (2m) 2m

Teleportation 1m 2m

Movement SFX

 

ATTACKS & MANEUVERS

Maneuver Phase OCV DCV Effect

Block ½ +0 +0 Block, abort

Brace 0 +2 ½ +2 OCV vs. Range Mod.

Disarm ½ -2 +0 Disarm, STR v. STR

Dodge ½ — +3 Abort, vs. all attacks

Grab ½ -1 -2 Grab 2 limbs

Grab By ½† -3 -4 Move & Grab; +(v/10) to STR

Haymaker ½* +0 -5 +4 DCs to attack

Move By ½† -2 -2 3d6 + v/10; you take 1/3

Move Through ½† -v/10 -3 6d6 + v/6; you take ½ or full

Multiple Attack 1 var ½ Attack multiple times

Set 1 +1 +0 Ranged attacks only

Shove ½ -1 -1 Push 1m per 5 STR

Strike ½ +0 +0 6d6 or weapon

Throw ½ +0 +0 Throw w/ STR dmg

Trip ½ -1 -2 Knock target Prone

Charge ½ +0 -2 8d6 +v/10 Strike, FMove

Hard to Hold ½ +0 +0 45 STR vs. Grabs

Hold onto the pitcher ½ +0 +0 45 STR , to resist Disarm or Grab Weapon; Block, Abort

 

DEFENSES

Type Amount/Effect

Normal PD 15

Resistant PD 5

Normal ED 15

Resistant ED 5

Mental Defense 0

Power Defense 0

Flash Defense

 

SENSES

Perception Roll (9+INT/5): 11-

 

 

SKILLS, PERKS, & TALENTS

Cost Name Roll

3 Bare Handed: Demolitions 11-

8 Bustin' Thru: +10 with Demolitions (20 Active Points); Limited Power Only to demolish, not to disarm (or employ) explosives (-1 1/2)

3 (Have you ever seen anyone turn down Kool Aid from Kool Aid Man?): Persuasion 15- (19-)

 

6 Hey Kool Aid Man!: Positive Reputation: Oh Yeah!

 

6 Take a pitcher - it'll last longer!: Striking Appearance (vs. all characters)

7 Universal Translator 13-

 

33 Total Skills, Perks, & Talents Cost

 

POWERS AND EQUIPMENT

Cost Name Power/Equipment END

25 Resistant Protection (5 PD/5 ED) (Impermeable, Protect Carried Items (did you ever see him spill the Kool Aid?)) 0

5 Hard to knock over Knockback Resistance -5m 0

10 +20 PRE (20 Active Points); Limited Power Only when breaking through a wall (-1)

35 Does BODY (+1) for up to 80 Active Points of PRE (80 Active Points); Limited Power Only to break walls (-1), Incantations (Oh Yeah!; -¼) 8

Notes: Yes, after adding up Basic PRE, PRE as a Power, Reputation, Striking Appearance, and the Martial Arts Manuever: Charge, total PRE is 80. That's an average of 16 BOD done to the walls.

1 Teleportation 1m, Safe Blind Teleport (+¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), MegaScale (1m = 10,000 km; +2) (4 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), Can Only Teleport To Places with thirsty people; always arrives on wrong side of a wall (-½) 0

25 Detect Thirst 16- (Unusual Group), Penetrative, Range, Sense 0

10 His head IS his body No Hit Locations 0

15 Life Support (Eating: Character does not eat; Safe in Intense Cold; Self-Contained Breathing) 0

7 Kool Change Environment (-2 Temperature Level Adjustment), Area Of Effect (8m Radius Explosion; +¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (10 Active Points); No Range (-½) 0

5 Refreshing Naked Advantage: Usable Simultaneously (up to 2 people at once; +1 ¼), all targets standing within 10 meters of Grantor, Recipient must remain within Line of Sight of Grantor for up to 10 Active Points (12 Active Points); OAF (Kool Aid; -1), Limited Power Target must drink the Kool Aid (-¼) 1

16 Quenching Healing Any effect of thirst, heat, or dehydration 2d6, Area Of Effect (8m Radius Explosion; +¼), Expanded Effect (x3 Characteristics or Powers simultaneously) (+1) (45 Active Points); OAF (Kool Aid; -1), Limited Special Effect Common SFX (-½), Limited Power Target must drink the Kool Aid (-¼) 4

25 They drank the Kool Aid Mind Control 10d6, Telepathic (+¼) (62 Active Points); Limited Class Of Minds [single species/type of mind] (Anyone who drank the Kool Aid; -1), Costs END To Maintain (Full END Cost; -½) 6

2 Detect Gold 11- (Radio Group) (3 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½), Perceivable (sparks and lightning bolts; -¼) 1

14 Kool Moves Martial Arts

195 Total Powers/Equipment Cost

 

MATCHING COMPLICATIONS (400)

Cost Complication Roll

350 Base Points

10 Physical Complication: A huge animated pitcher of Kool Aid (Infrequently; Slightly Impairing)

10 Distinctive Features: A huge animated pitcher of Kool Aid (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive to other Advertising Mascots)

10 Social Complication: A huge animated pitcher of Kool Aid Infrequently, Severe, Not Limiting among other Advertising Mascots

5 Psychological Complication: You try being a huge animated pitcher of Kool Aid and see how well adjusted you are..... (Uncommon; Moderate)

5 Rivalry: Professional (Cola; Rival is As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry)

5 Vulnerability: Dehydration Attacks (Uncommon)

5 "Hunted": After spending a few Turns in any location, roll 3d6 each Turn and on 14 or less, Kool Aid Man is "Summoned" somewhere else Very Frequently (Less Pow; Watching)

0 Hunted: People wanting to be paid for the holes in their walls Infrequently (Less Pow; Mildly Punish)

 

400 Total Complications Points

 

 

Background/History

One cold day in Chicago in 1954, Marvin Plotts watched his young son draw a smiley face on a frosty windowpane. This was just the inspiration he needed for the task at hand; creating an image to help market the Kool Aid brand of powdered soft drink mix. Kool Aid had been quenching thirst since 1927, but General Foods had just bought Kool Aid from its creator and wanted everyone to know about this convenient, easily prepared, cool and refreshing beverage. Marvin Plotts created "Pitcher Man" - a frosty pitcher full of Kool Aid with a smiling face drawn on it. It would be another 21 years before Pitcher Man grew arms and legs and became Kool Aid Man, but once fully anthropomorphised, nothing was going to hold him back - certainly not walls.

 

Personality/Motivation

No one has ever seen Kool Aid Man without a smile on his face.

 

Quote: Oh Yeah!

 

Powers/Tactics

Kool Aid Man is really good at breaking through barriers and quenching thirst. Mind Control is normally used only to get people to sign the paperwork releasing Kool Aid Man from liability for structural damage.

 

Kool Aid Man has appeared in advertising for Kool Aid brand soft drink mix since 1975. Kool Aid is owned by Kraft Foods.

 

This character sheet is by

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Copyright Palindromedary Enterprises

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

Look at the background of the first RoboCop movie: the OCP corporation takes over running the 'non-profit' Police Department from the City. Things go from bad to worse, because the company needs to get the books into the black -- so the cops don't get back-up when they need it...

...The same thing could easily happen to MultiTech Systems' on-call team of "heroes". If they don't like it, well, that's too bad. Take a look at the fine print on the contracts you guys signed. MultiTech owns your butts... as well as your intellectual properties.

 

The only supers I could see being popular with the big firms would be telepaths and remote-viewers who can spy on rival firms' research labs.

 

Privatized security firms! Of course! I should have thought of that.

 

I could see big firms hiring paranormals who have powers that let them be electronics geniuses or super hackers, but those would be noncombat NPC types in most games. One could also see people with healing powers being sought after too, although not by most Fortune 500 firms unless their powers were pharmaceutical in nature.

[Clonus]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

On the one hand I think this is a neat idea' date=' especially with all the big business power grabs that happen in the real world. On the other hand, I don't really see why most corporations would bother having supers on their staff unless their powers allowed them to be ultra-efficient at making product (or conducting espionage). [/quote']

 

Technically the Bunny and Tiger sponsors are just that. Sponsors. They pay the heroes to put their logos on the heroes costumes and/or do advertisements. Tiger and Bunny really is brilliant that way. All of the hero characters are doing product placement for real life companies in Japan, and the name for the super powered people, "Next" comes from a sub-brand of Pepsi in Japan, "Pepsi Next", and the commercial bumpers are Blue Rose doing her advertisements for Pepsi...which is an actual commercial for Pepsi Next. Never has product placement been so seamless and appropriate.

[clsage]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

Character Name Kool Aid Man

 

Also worth a look:

 

http://surbrook.devermore.net/bigbrawl/bigbrawl.html

 

Two lists, one of Company Mascots, one of Food Mascots......Enjoy!

 

-Carl-

[Steve]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

Zen Team from the 4th edition was an example of a superteam working for a corporation.

[Lucius]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

Also worth a look:

 

http://surbrook.devermore.net/bigbrawl/bigbrawl.html

 

Two lists, one of Company Mascots, one of Food Mascots......Enjoy!

 

-Carl-

 

Well, I wish I'd seen this before.....I had already baked my own version of Keebler Elves

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary thought we were already familiar with Surbrook's Stuff. He certainly has a LOT of Stuff.

[novi]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

Sounds like Tiger and Bunny, Novi. If you can track it down, you might be able to mine it for ideas.

CES

 

Sure. I mean, it's not like I started a thread about it over in NGD or got inspired by it in anyway already.

[novi]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

You know, building a setting is almost a gamer Rorschach test. You talk about one thing, but you can see what their opinion on a lot of things is from their comments.

 

Anyway, I guess my NRA idea needs defending. To be fair, I borrowed it from elsewhere, but I'll explain the idea there.

 

The NRA was founded in 1871 as a club to promote sharpshooting. Their lobbying arm, the ILA, was not established until 1975. Coincidentally, Reagen was the first president the NRA specifically endorsed. So I think it is safe to say that for most of its existence, the NRA was largely apolitical.

 

Secondly, for the sake of argument, lets say that supers first showed up somewhere between 1920 and 1960. I imagine they weren't that heavily regulated in the beginning, and that they generally got benefit of the doubt on property damage early on. But in the 1980s and 1990s, litigation against superheroes quickly grew as with the rest of society. I don't know if lawsuits increased that much in that time frame, but that's the impression I've gotten from pop culture and regular culture. Which is when hero insurance popped up.

 

Thirdly, I'm assuming that there is a finite amount of social outrage to go around. In the real world, this is focused on gun control, as guns are the most common murder weapon in the world, and its much easier to try and ban guns than to change society so that fewer people have reason to kill. In a world with superheroes, guns are still the biggest killer, but you have supervillains as well. And since the only thing better than working towards a righteous goal is working towards a showy goal, many of the anti-gun people have instead focused their energies on problems with supervillains.

 

Also, even beyond all that, the world overall is more pro-gun. In a world where there are people with laser eye-beams, or are tough enough to resist punches and baseball bats, having a weapon for protection is a far more reasonable concept. As such, public opinion is firmly pro-gun rather than split down the middle as in our world. That makes weapon bans a fringe opinion, with weapon registration about as far as people will accept.

 

All this adds up to a place where the right to own firearms is not questioned. Without any threats to its activities, the NRA never felt the need to become a political organization. It's just continued with its original mission.

 

 

Now, I'm not saying that this is the only way things could happen. But to me, I think this is a reasonable outcome. And the one I plan on using in this concept, though I don't imagine it being a big plot point. But if people still want to discuss this, I might suggest a new thread dedicated to the subject.

[novi]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

The immediate thing that comes to my mind is the lessened importance of law enforcement and possibly the military, as private corporations have started taking over many of their duties. If you get used to looking at Microsoft and their Captain Defender to take care of the problem, then traditional forces get marginalized. This could mean problems when they are forced to work together, or perhaps Microsoft now runs the local Redmond police department. Mercenaries are more common, and keeping track of who works for who at any given moment could be difficult. The bag guy you fought yesterday has now been hired to defend the city for 4 months, and could be given a pardon, or is untouchable during that time. Mind reading, clairvoyance, and precognition may or may not change law enforcement and spying.

 

If corporations are running mutants, I'd assume that some are getting them to help the corporation out in some way other than just publicity. The hero's response is slower to break-ins at a rival corporation, or maybe just happens to have a majority of big battles around the rival's HQ. Some probably run secret ops of dubious legality. It may be easier for the corporation to influence local government.

 

Create sport leagues, and maybe new sports, that require some sort of powers just to play. 3D football where flight is used instead of running. Wrestlers with superstrength. Certain jobs change - flying window washers, superstrength construction workers, deep-sea explorers.

 

Now, I doubt that police departments have disappered; you need someone to handle parking violations and disturbances of the peace. For all the showy, dangerous crimes that a superhero would be needed, there are many more minor incidents and actions that need to be dealt with. But I will give you that SWAT teams are likely less common, since they can just call in superheroes to handle those cases.

 

As to the military, I think you would see supers mostly confined to special operations outfits. Supers are useful, but there are two things to remember: one is that there is no draft, not even for mutants. Two is that no matter how cool they are, officers still like to have as many men or planes or tanks under them as they can get, and that is easier with conventional forces.

[novi]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

What do PCs do? Please say “fight super crime” and not “sit in a boardroom and make decisions on how super humans are to be dispatched (“advertise kool-aid is also unacceptable, unless you get to break down walls and yell “Oh Yeah!”).

 

It sounds like you have to pay to be a superhero, what with the property destruction. Clearly non-damaging heros (like telepaths) don’t have to sign up, unless you intend for there to be lots of legal fees.

 

Why do mutants become superheroes? What motivates them? It cant’ be money, because it costs to be a hero, it can’t be doing what the system cant’ do (e.g. vigilante style), since they are still part of the system. What is the advantage to working for a corporation rather than say, the government?

 

How exactly does super-law work?

 

I appreciate the thoughts so far. One thing I would like to ask, though, is that people focus on this concept and not try and make it something else. Superheroes do superhero stuff, but they also have to deal with being walking advertisements. Please assume that is how things are, and that things have somehow happened to make that work. There are many reasons why things shouldn't work that way, but the same can be said of all superhero stories. While shadowrun-style espionage or OCP or Hollywood stunt people will happen in the background, that's not what I want to focus on, anymore than people playing Shadowrun are going to play a team of superheroes in Seattle, even though they totally could.

 

Like I said, most people with superhuman abilities aren't superheroes or villains; not that many people with abilities are nearly powerful enough to be one, either. But for the ones that are, some do it because that's what you're supposed to do with superpowers. And while most superheroes working for the corporations are doing it for the money, fewer do it just for the money. They have a gift, and this is a way to earn a good living off of it. Also, look at how many people these days want to be famous. This is one way.

 

And as to the corporations themselves, whether or not it's the best/realistic/sensible reason to do it, they employ supers as advertising vehicles. Even if it costs them a few million a year, it pays for itself (ideally) in things like free tv time ("Also tonight, Team Pepsi stopped a daring daylight robbery...").

 

And while supers with non-damaging powers should theoretically not have to pay anything/very little, I'm going to say that they only get a small break. The insurance is more being superheroes and being a brightly colored target for lawsuits than real culpability. I don't want to go superheavy into what the exact details are; I'm not a lawyer, and as a gamer, energy blasts are far more interesting than what the correct deductible or liability limits are.

 

Also, the way I'm seeing things, using powers does not automatically get someone in trouble. Courts have generally held that good Samaritan laws cover the use of powers, though only to the extent that those laws cover actions (i.e., in the lack of 'imminent peril', actions that cause injury can be considered reckless and not protected by those laws).

[Christopher]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

And while supers with non-damaging powers should theoretically not have to pay anything/very little' date=' I'm going to say that they only get a small break. The insurance is more being superheroes and being a brightly colored target for lawsuits than real culpability. I don't want to go superheavy into what the exact details are; I'm not a lawyer, and as a gamer, energy blasts are far more interesting than what the correct deductible or liability limits are.[/quote']

Once you start controlling the Evil Cpt. Havok (know for collateral damage from usign his powers), you are responsible to the uses of his powers. And he can always say that the damage he caused immediately after he leaves your control (the same battle) was your doing/based on your doing.

[Jagged]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

While there is some anti-mutant sentiment, it's directed at all superhumans. And while some of it is just fearful, racist dumbasses, much of it is actually from people who would be in the anti-gun movement in the real world.

 

I would just like to say that I don't think these would be the same people at all. I say this as someone that would be classed as anti-gun ownership by American standards and pro-gun ownership by English standards

[Orion]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

Now' date=' I doubt that police departments have disappered; you need someone to handle parking violations and disturbances of the peace. For all the showy, dangerous crimes that a superhero would be needed, there are many more minor incidents and actions that need to be dealt with. But I will give you that SWAT teams are likely less common, since they can just call in superheroes to handle those cases.[/quote']

 

Depending on the power level of the local heroes, I would agree. If Superman is in town, he is the SWAT team. If the best you have is Power Man, maybe he's on the SWAT team, and is generally the first one through the door. As for parking violations, I think the Flash used to work at Texas A&M, given the way they gave out tickets in student parking lots. There will always be a need for some type of security force, but the question is it run directly by the local government, by a corporation (Wackenhut armed guards for example), or some combination. I can see where in many cases the local corporation heroes are also considered to be members of the police or highway patrol.

 

As to the military' date=' I think you would see supers mostly confined to special operations outfits. Supers are useful, but there are two things to remember: one is that there is no draft, not even for mutants. Two is that no matter how cool they are, officers still like to have as many men or planes or tanks under them as they can get, and that is easier with conventional forces.[/quote']

 

I think it comes down to how many would enlist, and I'm betting the enlistment bonuses for supers are quite good. If only 3 enlist, they'll be sent on solo special ops. Get 12 of them, and it'll be a special team. Get 100, and it'll be a new Delta Force, or perhaps an addition to Delta Force.

[Christopher]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

Just wondered:

Do the corporate heroes need to maintain a Secret ID?

How do the get their payment form their company? (getting cash seems to be the only suiteable way)

[csyphrett]

Re: Setting, really: Corporate Champions?

 

I think Nascar could form a basis for this as far as the corporate sponsorship goes.

 

"Look, it's Tide Man. He cleans up crime."

CES