Tell me about your campaign world.

[SSgt Baloo]

Do you invent your own worlds for your superhero campaigns or do you just take someone else's setting, file off the serial numbers and call it good? Do you borrow from different settings and mix them together (DC and Marvel, for instance)? Do you manufacture your world from whole cloth with no familiar nations and cities or do you slavishly copy maps of real places and never, ever use "generic" cities and settings?

 

My own favorite worlds to run were:

Pre-WWII America (1938-1941):

Apart from some ficional events being true, and some true events being fictionalized, the world's history is essentially the same as in out world, up until Supers (the PCs) start to show up.World events unfold pretty much as they did in history except that the actions of superheroes and supervillains can change the course of history, if allowed to.

 

The campaign was intended to segue into WWII, with the PCs as America's mightiest heroes, but I got orders to another base

WW II -- Mutants and Supermen:

Nicola tesla's experiments in the early days of the 20th century have unleashed strange energies into the world, mostly upon the North American Continent. This causes a number of changes, among which are that some people who seriously study magic find that they are able to perform "real" magic (as opposed to stage magic). Children are born with unusual abilities, and upon reaching puberty begin manifesting powers, abilities, and distinctive features that set them apart from the rest of humanity.

 

There are two "classes" of altered humans: supermen and mutants. A superman (not named after the character but the Nietzschean concept of the Ubermann) is apparently normal but has abilities and/or powers ordinary humans can't do. Mutants are any human with a physical "defect" that appears (to the "experts" of the day) to be regressive or animalistic, sort of like evolution in reverse. While there are mutants with superpowers, they are still classified as mutants. Supermen are viewed as the next step in human evolution. Mutants are viewed as "unnatural" by many, and are often discriminated against.

 

In America during the 1920s, the existence of "mutants" gives an extra boost to the domestic eugenics movement. Humans with "animalistic" characteristics are involuntarily neutered, often institutionalized, and occasionally "die at birth", an event which is viewed as a merciful act by many. By the time WW II rolls around, the NAACP has become the NAACMP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored and Mutant People). Most supermen aren't heroes or villains, just people with powers, but some have become heroes, others villains, and mutants with powers are doing the same.

 

Elements of the campaign include trying to get otherwise decent people to recognize that their prejudice against mutants (and other minorities) is baseless. Nazi agents will attempt to increase friction between normals and supermen, mutants, etc., in an attempt to hinder America's war effort. Mutant heroes are encouraged, but can expect to meet a lot of uneducated people with wrong-headed ideas about supermen and mutants.

Contemporary Earth with supers:

It's just Earth as we know it, except for supers and the necessarily altered history to account for them. Supers have been around since just before WW II. History is different, with many more tiny countries around the world, many of them ruled by supers, both good and evil.

 

There are no fictional cities in the US, but supers modeled after real comic book characters will live in whatever real city is the closest analogue to their fictional city in the comic. Superman is in Manhattan, Batman operates from Boston, Spiderman operates around New York City, the Flash from Oklahoma City, etc., provided of course, they exist at all in this campaign.

 

When "real" supers (from the comics) exist, they are considerably nerfed compared to how they are portrayed in the comics. This way, the PCs don't feel like second-stringers who might have to call upon one of the heavy-hitters of things go bad. The PCs

are

the heavy hitters of this world.

What settings do you like to use for your superhero campaigns?

[assault]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

Current: "authentic" Golden Age world. Based on actual Golden Age comics rather than later stuff, where possible.

 

Technically based in Australia, rather than the US, but actually in more of a limbo where WW2 never really happens.

[hfergus]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

For Champions I use a modified combination of the Champions Universe and my own based on where I live - but not quite. In other words, think chili. A little bit of this, a lot of that. Bronze age with a "whisper of iron". The Champions exist as NPCs, and are a bit more experienced than the group I run. But they do not do everything, or even most. The groups have worked well together and like each other.

 

For D&D I use a modified Forgotten Realms. If you expect it as published - you'll be surpised. But I use the map and some of the main characters & plots.

[Guest steamteck]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

Here's my summery of my Supers world

 

The world is called Nereen and the century is the 31st since the founding of the empire of Cinnabar. The planet has many parallels to earth but the population is considerably smaller. The culture is similar to pulp style with a sprinkle of ultra tech. Superheroes are exceptional but a known thing.

There have always been superhumans existing along with humanity. The ancient Greek gods were basically immortal superhumans while the Egyptian gods were/are…. Something else. The first costumed hero of the modern era was the Thunderchild, a renaissance man of a do-gooding adventurer who gained the strength and durability of Thor. He is still alive and a member of the world’s most famous superteam, the Protectors.

The Thunderchild and some other new heroes including the original Black Avenger (the current is the third) were instrumental in foiling the first Chthiri invasion. Chthiri are shape shifting vaguely insectal aliens who are masters of genetic engineering. The Chthiri attacked during the Great World War in 2918. The locals technology was a Steampunk vision of Earth’s 1800s.

When the dust cleared the aliens were defeated and the humans had access to lots of new cool technology for decades the humans flourished and developed a hybrid technology and costumed supers became more common.

The Chthiri were hiding amongst the humans and in 3018 struck again. A coalition of heroes changed the tide for Nereen and the Protectors were born. Anagathic technology was gained after the 2nd invasion About 20 years later, led by the dreams of the god Ares, (The Olympians having just returned after 2000 years), The mercenary General known as the Warlord discovered a crashed alien spaceship of another race, the Hazeel or Grays in the True World (similar to Earth’s south American) Jungle. He quickly became a major power but his tech trickled into the general technology.

Just a few years ago the Present and 3rd Black Avenger created a database to deal with all known Superheroes “just in case there were problems”. It was hacked into by the villain known as Interface who sold it to many evil organizations, Such as The Warlord, Terror Inc, and Ragnarok. Many Heroes died in the “ Night of fire” but the Thunderchild has known of the possibility and had trained several young heroes in secret who saved many lives. The Avenger now lives reviled and trying to atone. Often on the run from those who seek vengeance.

Brings us to present day. The campaign city is Lasari. Not the capital of the nation of Cinnabar but it cultural and technological head. It is run by a council of the heads of the great corporations. The nicer sections of the city are south near their offices. Think of the Southside as metropolis and the North as Gotham. Adventures however can take the Players all over the world and beyond.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

Typically, like hfergus I run my Champions games in a mix of the modern world and the Champions Universe, though I don't set the game in the same city where I live. I've run campaigns set in Detroit twice, New York City twice, Millennium City once, and Chicago once. History is generally the same as ours, with plenty of handwavium used to explain why supers haven't had more influence in the course of history prior to the PCs. I've added (small) countries for plot purposes -- the most extensively detailed were the Malachite Islands and the European nation of Montenbourg.

 

I've incorporated major current events into the game. For instance, my game was set in New York City when 9/11 happened, and I did my best to keep things as close to the real world events as possible without completely excluding any PC actions or heroics. (I had the PC heroes on the island of Sanctuary that day, and put the NYC teleportation node in the basement of the WTC so the PC heroes couldn't just bop back. All but one member of an NPC hero team died when the towers collapsed. The PCs had to 'port to the LA node and fly cross-country, collecting other supers along the way to help with the search for victims. And then they eventually had to deal with the surviving NPC hero's mental breakdown over his "survivor's guilt.")

 

PC actions have caused the game world to completely diverge from the real world. Through a convoluted plot, they helped a pro-supers US senator become President, then arranged for his forcible ouster after they discovered he was a mind controller who engineered the whole thing.

 

But overall, I've found it easier to work with the players' familiarity with our own world and history, than to rewrite history whole-cloth or otherwise remake the world.

[red_eagle123]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

My current campaign world is a home brew. The setting is modern day 2009. We started out only a month or two behind real time but that gulf between game time and real time keeps growing.

 

People with powers didn't exist before 1989. The very first person publicly acknowledge to have powers appeared during the Loma Prieta earthquake. After that more and more people started showing up. Where these powers came from isn't known, even the players aren't 100% sure.

 

What the players have started to figure out, and will eventually find out is that super powers came to Earth due to the Moon missions. The first landing brought back moon rocks, and unprotected exposure to these rocks causes mutations. Unfortunately these mutations don't show up until the next generation. Specifically children born after a person is exposed will develop powers. Of course, the transport taking the moon rocks cross country for study spilled some near I-70... oops.

 

Additionally, powers won't develop until the person is in their late teens, between 17 and 19 years old. Also, if the aforementioned moon rocks do come into contact with those with powers, it boosts their powers 1000% percent, but this also causes the rocks to drain themselves of whatever it is that boosts/causes powers.

 

Due to the severe delay between exposure and manifestation, people haven't quite figured out the cause and effect yet. Although they're starting to add things up.

 

Manifestee's (my term for those with powers) were mostly secretive until recently. The Manifestee population is growing as more and more people hit that magical age and start manifesting.

 

The game world setting has also necessitated certain setting changes, including:

Comic Books are no longer published about Superheroes. Any comics published after approximately 1991 do not exist in my game world

It's become common place for students graduating from High School and entering college to take a year off. Additionally Colleges no longer allow Freshmen and Sophomores onto their sports teams. Manifestee's are banned from all sports.

There is no way to easily test for the existence of superpowers however, so it is possible to hide a Manifestation.

The campaign primarily takes place in/around a school for Manifestee's located on part of Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay.

Certain big events have ties to Manifestation (Timothy McVeigh was a mind controller and the Oklahoma City bombing actually occurred while people were trying to stop him).

 

In addition, the players have recently discovered the existence of alternate dimensions, running across Istvatha V'han herself (and unfortunately drawing her attention to their home dimension, which she's now searching for). I have also hinted at the existence of Skarn and Tyrannon, and the PC's have twice traveled to the Shadow Dimension, where one of the PC's powers draw their energy from.

[Enforcer84]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

Else Earth was originally a 3rd and the 4th Ed Champions campaign set in a universe that had a lot of the Enemies from the Enemies books but little else. My GMs (like me) enjoyed making characters and so we tended to throw bits we liked in and toss others. The 4th Ed Champions Universe Book put the seed into my brain and when the campaigns started winding down in the early 90's as we went off to school and my chances to play Champions dwindled, I began working on character conversions with first Heromaker - then Hero Creator, and finally Hero Designer. I chose to name the world Else Earth as a nod to several awesome DC Comics Elseworld titles. Then I began filing the serial numbers off...then I began working on my own stuff. I'm not Jack Kirby or Stan Lee but I think I do ok.

 

First off there has always been super powers on Earth. The Planet Earth is what I refer to as a nexus world. There are about 1000 in the known universe. These worlds are, for whatever reason, capable of accessing other dimensional counterparts. So Alternate universes, Lands of Legend, Elemental Planes, Psionic Dreamscapes, etc are all accessible from Earth far easier than anywhere else (if at all). This is why Earth has had so many "Pantheons" of powerful magical entities, alien invasions, Old God Worshiping Cultists, and other things. Half the time it's not even acknowledged by the weirdness that invades it. They just want Earth. Don't know why.

 

So as an Intergalactic/Interdimensional Weirdness Magnet, Mother Earth has some very unusual events happen to her.

I have no unifying power theory, allow Magic, Aliens, Gods, Monsters, etc.

 

For the most part, Else Earth's history has been very similar to our Earth's with a few differences. Mostly do to Alien Invasions. One shortly before the Korean War and one Shortly after July 4th, 1995.

 

The upshot of these two events, were an overall technology advancement far more rapid than ours...and the promotion of Brazil and Norway as military powers (due to their "luck" at having invasion fleet salvage).

 

Also, I took a page from Marvel and had the old "Gods" leave Earth for the Lands of Legend (Olympus, Asgard, Happy Hunting Grounds, Heliopolis. etc...) and Each pantheon agreed to forgo contact. This agreement was rescinded in 2000 and many have returned.

 

And as my write ups can attest to, I have some potent figures treading around on both sides of the Hero/Villain fence.

[Sketchpad]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

For superhero games, I currently run my own world that's a mash-up of the past 30 years of gaming ... in it's current incarnation, I've upped the tech level, changed the geography a bit, and renamed cities here and there. Most of the characters are a mix of my own, past players and a few heroes with the serial numbers lasered off ...

[Rhine]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

I ran a campaign for 30 years in 4 cities -- Ryoku the Game of Power. It dates back to 1100 AD Japan. The Emperor banned it as too violent, and was killed soon after. It was kind of a chess game with 8 sides. Each suit (steel, urmetals, crystal, souls, shadow, fire, plus Justice and Chaos) had a base set of powers and disads. Characters or villains were often "pieces" (about 30% of the time) and eventually they start to collect crowns. It can tie in a wide range of character types (martial arts, magic, machine) and give them a common conspiracy world to skulk around in, as well as adjacent dimensions.

One character accidentally becomes the Palladin of Justice -- the target of assassins.

I eventually wrote a book about it. (Foundation for the Lost, on Amazon and Smashwords in electronic or paperback format)

[Orion]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

For most genres I just use the default setting with minor tweaks, but with Champions there was no established world back in 1985, so I created my own.

 

Sentinels - Magic started leaking back into the world about 15 years ago. It's the cause of metahumans, with universal powers directing a small number to be created to advance their goals. It's only been 10 years since the first metahuman showed up. About 90% of metahumans are villains, and many are from old publications. All heroes are my creations, as there are only about 20 worldwide. Players are the first superteam. Psionics exist, were lifted straight out of Julian May's Metapsychic Rebellion series, but play almost no role in the campaign. Magic is at about the level of Buffy or Charmed, and Demon and dimensional invaders play a significant part. Technology is not as advanced as most comics, and Iron Man type suits are extremely rare - Turtle armor is about as good as most countries get to fight villains. Aliens are fighting AIs and cyborgs for control of wormholes near Earth and this may or may not become important later on. The AIs are secretly supplying advanced tech to Genocide. The tone is dark, somewhat dystopian, and closer to Shadowrun than Champions Universe. Death of mooks is expected, and major villains and heroes are not exempt. No Green Arrow or Batman types, as they get killed far too quickly. Dark Champions feel and tone, but with 400+ point characters.

 

Nazi World - Year is 1950. Nazis took over Europe using superscience and mystical artifacts, but were smart enough not to attack Russia directly. Japan rules much of Pacific and half of China, while Stalinist Russia indirectly controls the rest of China. US stayed neutral too long, and is just starting to figure out how to create metahumans. There is a small nation of intelligent apes in Africa, and analogs to Wundagore, Monster Island, and the Savage Land/Pellucidar Play concentrates on stopping Nazi/Russian/Japanese saboteurs on the homefront and secret missions striking back at the enemy. Mystery men allowed, but low powered superheroes preferred. Players are from US or British (includes colonies) refugees. Silver age in tone. This campaign linked to Sentinels through my (very different) version of Dr Destroyer, and mostly for one-off adventures at this time. If/when it turns into a full campaign, I'll likely buy supplements to flesh it out.

 

No name - still in development, and may get stuck in a corner of the Sentinels at some point. Dark Champions or Shadowrun in tone. No code names or costumes, and while the public knows some have special powers, most keep them hidden. No aliens, demons, mutants, robots, or supertech - psionics and magic are the source of all powers. Low powered, and most enemies are at the agent level. Characters encouraged to be morally ambiguous. Play revolves around furthering each characters goals, not being a hero. Characters usually work together, but may work against each other at times. Social conflict is emphasized over fists and weapons.

 

Warlord of Mars - based somewhat on the old ERB stories, but also incorporates old scifi about other planets, Buck Rogers, Pellucidar, Zenozoic Tales, and the Warlord comic. No space travel, but there is remnent technology from an older civilization, which may or may not have been alien. Humans and aliens exist together on planet, but seldom mix, and aliens usually more barbaric. Lots of weird monsters. Low-level psionics take the place of magic for both mages and priests. Ray guns, antigrav, and rocket packs, but also swords, breastplates, and loincloths. Most advanced tech cannot be replaced. Play revolves around fighting off the barbarian hordes (human and alien), rogue monsters, and recovering technology. As much Fantasy Hero as Champions.

[Mister E]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

My first setting was generic AD&D 2nd edition. The campaign was micro-cosmic because I always just made up names for things as they came up. Just about everything was randomly generated on the spot. No real adventures. Just endless questing (PCs/travel/monsters/treasure).

[Beazulbob]

Re: Tell me about your campaign world.

 

What follows is my introduction page for new players, it gives the current view/take on reality that science and government is using.

 

A Super world

 

 

Superstring theory suggests, in one of its incarnations, 11 dimensions. These additional dimensions interact with our daily lives the same way a circle interacts with a 3-dimensional world (4-dimensional world after you take time into account), its there but its not. So humanity exists among many dimensions, and just like the circles, we can’t see past our limited frame of reference. In the far past, though, the additional dimensions were turbulent, interacting with our dimensions and each other, but like dust allowed to settle, over time the dimensions calmed down and ceased interacting with our ‘realm’. In 19371, though, our solar system passed through a dark-matter cloud and our planet was struck by multi-dimensional meteorites. Almost entirely unnoticed, it started a change in our galaxy, and more importantly, our world.

 

Interaction with these dimensions follows esoteric rules and seemingly illogical connections. Just as in chemistry, the angle of molecular bonds can change the properties of materials, and how a viruses ability to connect with proteins is determined by a topology that is, without detailed knowledge, like magic; so to is our world’s effects and connections limited with these other dimensions. The impacts that have ‘stirred up’ these dimensions was not immediately noticed, but location, genetics, and random chance brought our modern world of supers into being – or at least, alignment2. It triggered technology that exceeds all prior concepts, and allows the creation of materials that science laughed at the mere concept of before. Newton’s world suffered a mortal blow. Magic doesn’t exist, but we have discovered a whole realm of possibility that, to our uninitiated minds, might as well be magic.

 

Individuals can have a propensity for super powers, otherwise referred to as mutants3. Genetic codes that allow interaction with additional dimensions exist, although it typically requires an amazing and rare set of circumstances for these powers to manifest. While not literally true, the belief in astrology that claimed your birth time and location determined who you are and your future were, in a way, correct – just not in the way it was thought. Not all mutations are positive and a small percentage of yearly deaths are from these genes allowing fatal reactions to occur. It is not only the body that can change, minds are just as susceptible. Some even believe that prions4 are a result of gene-dimension interplay.

 

One dramatic change that has occurred is in power potential differential changes – like how a battery uses the difference in potential to create the flow of electrons, so too do some dimensions have higher power5, allowing the miniaturization of power sources that use exotic, multi-dimensional materials. Material technology has jumped forward as well, the additional dimensions allow for angles of molecular connection that were inconceivable in the Newtonian world humanity grew up in. These power sources and exotic materials are rare right now, not only are special materials needed, but the location, workers, and tools have to ‘extrude’ into other dimensions just right. It will take a few generations for mankind to get the hang of interaction, but it is a question of when, not if.

 

Realization of the changes in science took a long time, it was the early 60’s before scientists stopped arguing and began re-measuring, and is today, still ongoing. The availability of these materials6 is poor, creating a gold-rush environment, with territory battles, war, and legal battles following discovery at every turn. While a world war seems far off, smaller wars seem to be springing up all over the globe. The world is experiencing some painful ‘growing pains’. To further complicate the issue, changes in technology have allowed humanity the best view of space it has ever had; bringing proof that there is intelligence beyond our solar system.7

 

One facet, not commonly realized, is that while some people are mutants with distinct differences from humanity, there are ‘talents’, people who can make supposedly impossible technology, that can not be used by others8. They are capable of creating equipment that functions despite sciences insistence that it shouldn’t. It seems that these talents unconsciously manipulate matter in other dimensions, meaning that the device is partially made of dark-matter. They can somehow reach into the other dimensions to manipulate the equipment so that it produces results. Despite the media’s labeling this ability ‘magic’, this is literal technology in use, just beyond the reach or senses of the majority.9

1 1937 is the current estimate for the year of impact by the meteorites. This is a liquid, not hard, date. It is known that the first superhero, the phantom, appeared in 1940. His memoirs fail to allow historians and scientists more information. The phantom died in 1984.

2 Claiming that supers have been brought into being imply a spontaneity that is spurious. There is the potential, now, but the circumstances required to bring it to fruition is still beyond current science.

3 Congress is currently debating the nature of mutants and the need to register them. One question troubling them is the right to privacy, and at which point is a mutant considered a mutant? Is it from the point of potential (via gene testing), once triggered, or if the whole question will be viewed by our children as a case of hysteria and racism.

4 Prions are not the only illness that is believed to be spawned/related to the dimensional contamination. As there is no sure method to shield people from this possible contamination, it is under study but not to be disseminated among the public. The link to prions has caused enough problems.

5 Despite advances in the field of power generation, large generators are too dangerous to produce as of yet. These power sources risk explosive output that progresses rapidly with increases in size. Until safety can be assured, generators will be limited to man size and smaller units.

6 There are currently 12 raw super materials that can be harvested, although NASA has begun scanning the solar systems for such deposits. It is expected to uneasy going, as China, India, and Germany have begun their own searches. Precedent for territory claims in space is coming soon.

7 Contact has already been made, with 4 distinct races of creatures, as well as generational communications (over 40 years of effort) with a 5th. The use of super materials is fundamental to the designs used by the aliens so far encountered, making earth a possible target for harvesting.

8 Currently, ‘talents’ are not considered mutants. Talents are as rare as triggered/active mutants, and the lack of access to potential material reduces the number that show themselves even more.

9 Under scientific review are several cases of ‘magic’. Government agencies are still researching the claims of several individuals, but they are under strict orders to prove the deniability of magic.

The talents (creators and users of advanced and or unique technology) are my attempt to keep the genie in the bottle as far as super suit characters. Their existence begs the question as to why the suits are not mass produced. The only argument that keeps it out of mass production's hands is the assumption of extreme cost - but given the power of a good suit, the government could build less bombers to build more suits and come out ahead on the power curve. Also, high expenses then create the problem of how replacements happen, why villians who capture an armored hero doesn't capture, then sell the armor, leaving the PC screwed.