CU Homebrew Campaign City - Feedback and Input appreciated

[BlueCloud2k2]

So I'm working on a Homebrew Campaign city for my Champions game. The city is a reboot of my Avalon DC idea I posted a few years back. I am looking for feedback on the Abridged History of the City, Ideas for critical NPCs, and locations of interest. The primary purpose of this is for my PBEM I am trying to get off of the ground, but I plan on making use of this for my face-to-face game that will be taking place after my current DnD Campaign wraps up.

 

So without further ado, I present Avalon 2.0! (Hrm, Having some problems with formatting when copying and pasting, here's to hoping it looks okay when posted )

The Abridged History of Avalon City

During the early explorations of the New World by the British Colonists, one expedition happened upon a small island off of the coast of New Hampshire. The leader of the expedition, one Arthur Adams, having discovered the island to be over run with an unknown type of apple trees and being a fan of Arthurian literature dubbed the island Avalon (based on the Welsh version of the island's name, Ynys Afallon – probably from the welsh word afal, meaning apple).

Adams and his company charted the island, and continued their expedition, not returning for nearly 15 years. By that time Adams was well into his fifties, but as the finder of the island and leader of the colony expedition he lived the remainder of his years as Avalon colony's mayor.

Following Adams's death, Avalon grew in size and prosperity – not only due to the abundant fishing available but due to the orchard's of "Adams Apples." During the American Revolution however, British naval ships used Avalon as their main port and the town was kept under martial law for the duration (mostly due to the large number of rebels amongst the townsfolk.). Following the Revolution Avalon was considered part of New Hampshire – much to the ire of the island's inhabitants – even during the Constitutional Convention, John William Adams – great grandson of Arthur Adams – fought to have Avalon recognized as its own state. Eventually a compromise was reached in that Avalon would be recognized as part of New Hampshire but would be designated as a fixed area for purposes of determining the number of seats in the House of Representatives – effectively giving the island its own seat.

Avalon continued to grow at a sedate pace until the First World War, when it was chosen for the J.W. Adams Naval Base and Shipyards. The boom in population caused by the naval base's construction more than doubled the island's population, requiring a major overhaul in the city's infrastructure and adding another seat for the island in the House of Representatives.

Avalon weathered the Depression, mostly due to the "old-money" orchard owners and the abundance of the fishing industry and naval base. After the appearance of Super-Heroes during WWII, Avalon continued to boom, and had it's own resident Super Heroine – the Silver Eagle.

In 1979 The first Super-Hero team of Avalon was founded – The Knights of Avalon. Their roster included Silver Eagle – now in her 60's but still active, her husband the White Scepter, Ionic, and Mer-girl. The team worked together to help keep the peace until Silver Eagle and White Scepter retired, with Ionic and Mer-girl moving on. In the 90's the team was rebuilt by Silver Eagle and White Scepter's granddaughter, Crystal Phoenix. Their roster included Lady Athena, War God and Super Blue.

It wasn't even a month after Dr. Destroyer leveled Detroit when a demonic entity calling itself The Hungerer appeared on the island, consuming the souls of those it touched. The Knights found themselves in a huge battle, destroying much of the city and leaving War God dead and Lady Athena a quadriplegic. Super Blue was mortally wounded and began emitting dangerous amounts of what he called Blue-Spectrum-Cosmic-Energy. Most experts are certain that he would have exploded, destroying Avalon and possibly throwing enough debris into the atmosphere to cause nuclear winter. The quick thinking of Crystal Phoenix saved the day when she used her magical powers to encase Super Blue in a crystal cocoon that fed off of his powers and kept him in stasis while gradually healing his wounds. Where Crystal Phoenix or the chrysalis are now remain a mystery.

Following the destruction and death caused by the Hungerer, the survivors could only bury their dead and start rebuilding. While it seemed unlikely that the island would ever be a populated as it was before the Feeding (as the newspapers dubbed it), several events happened around the nation causing the city to receive an influx of new citizens – namely Hurricane Katrina and the people who lost their homes.

It is now 2013. Avalon has been without an organized team of super heroes for over a decade. While many independent heroes have tried to rebuild the Knights of Avalon, due to personality conflicts or lack of commitment to being heroes – it seems the past decade has been replete with the "become a super-hero because it's so cool" fad, crime has steadily been on the rise in absence of an organized team of heroes.

As of the 2010 census, more than 1.4 million people live in Avalon. While not as Neo-Metropolitan as Millennium City, Avalon does employ automated traffic and its metro-rail system comparable to New York's subways. Key Industries revolve around shipping, ship building, fishing and fisheries, apple orchards, information technology, some manufacturing, and a small entertainment industry. More than ninety-percent of the island's power is supplied the Excalibur Reactor atop of The Citadel – The Skyscraper build atop the site where the Knights had their final showdown with the Hungerer. The Excalibur Reactor was built by former Knight, Ionic - who also owns the whole Citadel building.

Avalon boasts the following amenities:

• A Football Stadium (The Excaliburs)
  
• A Soccer Stadium (The Swifts)
  
• A Hockey Stadium (The Thunder)
  
• A Basketball Stadium is presently under construction (Expected to be completed within the year; Proposed Team Name is The Knights – public opinion is iffy on that one)
  
• A Baseball Stadium (Minor League Team – The Canaries)
  
• A Water-treatment plant (to recycle sewage into water with minimal waste)
  
• A De-salinization Plant (to turn sea-water into usable water; also feeds the heavy water extractor)
  
• A fully functional Subway and Monorail system.
  
• An international airport.
  
• A Sea-port
  
• A Zoo
  
• A Museum
  
• Self-driving cars, as developed for Millennium City. (GM's interpretation is the Self-Driving cars as seen in the movie, Demolition Man)
  
• Over multiple public and private schools, grades K-12.
  
• The Following Colleges and Universities: Avalon City University, University of New Hampshire – Avalon Campus, Avalon City Community College, Avalon Institute of Technology, and Avalon City School of the Arts.
  

Geography

Avalon is dived into the following areas:

North Orchard - The Northern part of the Island is home to the remaining Adams Apple Orchards. This is also where most of the Island's old-money and elite live. It was virtually untouched by the Hungerer due to its sparse population density. Where North Orchard touches the sea it is too rocky for more than private docks.

East Port – The Eastern part of the Island is home to J.W. Adams naval base, the Avalon Shipyards, and the East Avalon Shipping Company. It is where most of the city's industries are as well as most of the low to low-middle class live.

Southland – The Southern part of the island is next to Down Town Avalon and Eastport Southland is mostly middle class but there are some bad neighborhoods on the edges of Downtown and Eastport. Like North Orchard, Southland is too rocky to build any ports.

West Port – The western part of the island no longer serves as an active port, but does have a marina used but the upper-middle and upper class to house private boats and yachts. Most of the colleges are in this area, as are most of the stadiums and the Air Port. Westport separates North Orchard from Downtown and is home to mostly the middle and upper-middle class.

Downtown – The center of the island is also home to Avalon's Down Town, as is referred to as such. It used to be Town Center until WW I. Downtown has very little housing (mostly lower class), and separates West Port from East Port and Southland.

Famous Faces – The Who's Who of Avalon

Mayor: Miguel Villaraigosa

• Age: 43
  
• Ht: 5' 8â€
  
• Wt: 140 lbs
  
• Background: Miguel was born in Avalon but raised in Los Angeles CA in the inner-city by his grandmother. He graduated high school as valedictorian and won a full scholarship to Harvard where he studied Political Science and Law. After graduation, he interned in Washington and later became employed with the City of Los Angeles. Eventually he moved back home where he was the personal assistant of Arthur James Adams before he retired as Mayor. Deciding to throw his own hat into the ring, Miguel won by a landslide (mostly due to his predecessor's full endorsement). Mayor Villaraigosa is tough on crime, and believes in fully funding the police department. He enjoys spending time speaking with the police officers and regularly holds small dinner parties for the Police Commissioner and the precinct captains. He publicly supports the actions of costumed Heroes, but less-publicly laments their necessity. He is also a consummate politician, and believes that having a fully sanctioned Super-Hero team in Avalon will cement his re-election.
  

Police Commissioner: Allen “Buck†Rodgers

• Age: 50
  
• Ht: 6' 4â€
  
• Wt: 195
  
• Background: Allen Rodgers was raised in Cheyenne Wyoming and was the Son of Cop and the Grandson of a Preacher. He is devoutly Baptist and has a fire and brimstone mentality. Starting off as a beat-cop he quickly worked his way up through the ranks, mowing down lesser officers like a Legal Juggernaut. He made chief of police for the city of Cheyenne by the age of 35. After the Hungerer killed most of the citizenry, he was hand-picked by the AJ Adams to serve as Police Commissioner. He gets along well enough with current Mayor Villaraigosa, but dislikes the fawning attention the mayor dotes upon the city police. Like the mayor, he publicly supports the actions of costumed-crime-fighters, but privately wishes they weren't necessary.
  

Local Entrepreneur: Arthur James Adams

• Age 67
  
• Ht: 6' 2"
  
• Wt: 150 lbs
  

While he is encroaching on his seventies, former Knight of Avalon Ionic is one of the city's most noted individuals. Commanding a private wealth to rival that of the Trumps, the Gates, and the Harmons, he is most well known for donning a suit of hyper-conductive material that allowed him to move at super-speeds. After retiring from the Knights, he made his identity known and published his autobiography – When Lighting Strikes. AJ served as mayor to Avalon for several years before needing to retire due to the death of his son in a plane crash and his only grand-daughter not being old enough to run the family company, Adams Apples Inc. AJ Adams owns the Avalon Thunder (he is a huge hockey fan and played in college long ago). His granddaughter Christine Adams is presently his only heir and is suffering from debutantitis – and she has been seen frequently in the company of both Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan.

Reporter (SNN): Randal King

• Age: 36
  
• Ht: 5' 10â€
  
• Wt: 160
  
• Background: Randal King grew up in New-York city and at a young age developed a fanaticism for Super Heroes and Villains. In junior-high school he became interested in journalism after a class tour of one of the major news networks. After graduating college, he want straight to work for SSN as a researcher and quickly worked his way to junior correspondent. Being in the right place at the right time to break the story about the Hungerer, SSN bumped him up a few pay-grades and made him the primary news correspondent for Avalon City. He's enjoying the pay almost as much as he's enjoying the work. Though it has cost him two marriages and the custody of this children, he is still fanatic about everything Super-related.
  

Super Hero (Independent): The Enigma

• Age: Unknown
  
• Ht: 5' 2"
  
• Wt: 110
  
• Background: Not much is publicly known about the being the news calls The Enigma. She showed up one day in Avalon and single-handedly foiled a bank heist, and vanished just as quickly. She appears as a glowing entity with a definite female form, though her appearances seem to be at random. There is some debate on whether or not she's the ghost of Crystal Phoenix or something else.
  

Sites of Significance: Places of Interest

Avalon is home to many interesting locations, as detailed here:

The Citadel – This skyscraper was built amongst the ruins of the final battle between the Knights and the Hungerer. It is owned by Adams Apples Inc, which means AJ Adams. The Citadel is famous due to the Excalibur Reactor, a structure atop the Citadel built by former Knight Ionic. While details of Excalibur are known only to AJ and select members of the Federal Government, it provides more than ninety percent of the power used by the city.

Capes – Built during the height of the "Be a Hero-Fad," this nightclub is still one of the hottest in Avalon. Its claim to fame is that patrons are required to dress up as either heroes or villains (whether they dress up as real heroes or characters from movies and comic books, or something completely made up). Rumor has it that many real heroes like to come to Capes to party. Sapphire has been spotted on at least two separate occasions. Unfortunately, it is also a place for super-powered criminals to gather on occasion. Luckily the club's bouncers all have low-grade super powers and have no problem evicting patrons who get too rowdy or try to take out someone dressed as their nemesis.

 

 

 

[Enforcer84]

Looks good so far.

[Cancer]

i'd expect additionally another a minor private college and a major private university. Either or both could be affiliated with some mainstream religion. Could have a bishop-level ecclesiastical honcho too. Financial services also likely to be important, bankers, holding companies, etc. Big organized labor figures can be key, also. All those add layers for corruption and criminal activities and masterminds.

[BlueCloud2k2]

While the extent of my knowledge of most organized religions can be written on the head of a pin, how's this:

 

Religious Leader: Bishop Heinrich Schmidt

• Age: 72
  
• Ht: 5" 9"
  
• Wt: 130 lbs
  
• Background: Heinrich Schmidt was born in Munich Germany during World War II. His mother was an Austrian warbride and his father was in the Waffen SS. While his father served only on the Russian Front (and barely surivived being burned alive when the tank he was driving was struck by a Russian Tank), his father was denied his war pension and benefits, and lived in bitterness the remainder of his years. Growing up in an abusive household, Heinrich's family was subjected to frequent beatings. After Heinrich's father was killed in an automobile accident, Heinrich found comfort in mother church. While he excelled in both athletics and academics, Heinrich immediately took his vows after completing university with degrees in both history and world religions. For the past 50 years Heinrich has travelled around the world, faithfully doing his duties. As if in defiance of his father's Nazi attitudes towards "non-Aryan" peoples, especially Jews and Muslims, Heinrich has always counseled tolerance and understanding of other peoples and religions. While old enough to serve as a Cardinal, Heinrich is happy where he's at and has declined to take on that mantel.
  

Avalon Bible College: A non-denominational school dedicated to Christian Higher Education. While not as big as some bible colleges, it typically serves around 300 students persuing degrees in theology.

 

And some other NPC's....

 

Labor Organizer: Peter Wolfe

• Age: 45
  
• Ht: 6' 3"
  
• Wt: 200 lbs
  
• Background: Peter Wolfe was born in St. Louis Missouri in a blue collar household. His Father was a Welder and part-time Mechanic, and his mother was a nurse. Peter excelled in shop and vo-tech courses, before going to welding school and joining the Boiler Maker's Union. After the Hungerer decimated much of Avalon's population and infrastructure, Wolfe took a job as a foreman during reconstruction and rapidly worked his way up to Lead Supervisor and Head of the Local Union. He has a wife and three kids, and his eldest son James is a rookie cop for the ACPD. Wolfe has a reputation of being a complete prick on the job site, especially where his workers are concearned - his first priority is making sure he and his people are well paid. Rumor has it that he's in the pocket of the Gribkov crime syndicate, using the threat of labor strikes against the major contractors to make sure the Ukrainian mob maintains a large percentive of construction contracts.
  

[Hermit]

This is good stuff.

[BlueCloud2k2]

This is good stuff.

Glad you like it, there's more to come.

[Shadow Hawk]

Nit picky unimportant detail.  I've never seen a U.S. naval base named for a person.  Unlike the other services, the navy names bases after locations, sometimes foolishly.  For instance, Navy Base San Diego is divided into subdivisions, the largest is "32nd Street Naval Station San Diego".  The carriers dock at Naval Air Station North Island, the submarines at Sub Base Point Loma, the S.E.A.L.s train at Naval Amphibous Base Coronado...

 

So, unless your universe is different (and no reason why it wouldn't be) the navy base would be "Naval Base Avalon" with the main installation being "Naval Station East Port".

 

And you might consider having a named Admiral in command of the base, and a lower ranking Admiral or Navy Captain commanding the station. 

Since you didn't mention an air base or marine camp, the base is probably home to a surface squadron of one or two cruisers, three or four destroyers, one or two frigates, and one or two replenishment oilers.  It would probably have a dock big enough for a nuclear carrier but none homeported thier.  At any given time, you'd probably have 1/3 of the ships deployed away from the area, 1/3 active in the area, and a final 1/3 undergoing repairs.  The surface squadron would have a junior Admiral commanding.

 

Goodness, I sound like a know it all.

[bluesguy]

Goodness, I sound like a know it all.

 

No you sound like you know a lot about the Navy (your sig indicates you ought to know that well)....

[bluesguy]

Glad you like it, there's more to come.

This is very good material.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Not a know-it all, no.

 

Most of my military exposure has been Air Force, Army and Marines.

 

And most of the bases I know of are all named after people.

[Shadow Hawk]

According to my son in law (US Army), all army bases are named for people.  The Air Farce uses the same rules as he Army.  Marine Corps bases are named for people EXCEPT for the ones they acquired from the Navy, which may keep the original name.  But the Navy always changes the name to the location.  So Army Camp Kearny became Naval Air Station Miramar became Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

 

And more knowitallness: With six to ten navy ships stationed here, thier should be a small helicopter field on base or nearby (Perhaps an annex at the airport?) to support the helos assigned to the ships.

 

Also: coast guard station at the port.  Not enormous, enough to support some rescue boats and maybe a cutter.  Plus, again, a annex at the airport for rescue helicopters and search and rescue aircraft.

 

OOOH!  National Guard units.  Maybe Air National Guard also.  But the airport annex is filling up.  So no ANG, but some regular National Guard.

 

The island would have been home to a fort at one point.  Destroyed and built over (likely), abandoned, monument/museum, still in use?  If it was near the port (likely built to protect the port) the Navy might have taken over the property, destroying the fort and building over it save for some 'useful' things like magazines.

 

And there  I go again.