A Whole New (Super) World...

[steriaca]

Your right...it has more to do with the economy than the parent company. Hard to support Hero if one can't find Hero products in the gaming/book store, and can only afford them once a year (taxes).

[steriaca]

What I really miss from the ICE-age of Hero was the fact that anyone can contribute to the Champions Universe. Yes, we got clunkers like European Enimies, but we also got good things like The Zodiac Conspiracy, Invaders From Below, Road Kill, Demons Rule, um... Mystic Masters, and other useful books.

 

Man...I miss that golden age of Hero, where Hero would publish one thing a week, and even if we had to wait months for the next ishue of the Occasional, err, Adventures Club. All theas third party Kickstarter stuff is not the same...

[Hermit]

To make a superhero setting from scratch, you'd have to establish a few baselines

 

What is the 'source' of superpowers? Alien tampering? Natural mutation? All high tech? Magic? All of the above? Most folks I know like a mix so they can run wild,, and it is true to the comics, but even then you're going to want to explain HOW superpowered beings came into being, and when they first decided to put on colorful longjohns to explain the conventions we know and love in a 'superworld'

 

You need to touch on how they've changed culture, technology, and politics. You also need to have reasons why they might not have changed it that much.

 

It can be tricky to be original on this, and sometimes trying to get too far out of 'the box' merely means you've fallen off the edge entirely.

 

Let's say I wanted to create a gameworld from scratch.

 

I decide I like the idea of aliens. I love me some aliens.

 

So we declare that Earth is actually a protectorate of the Alliance of Civilized Worlds: A squabbling collection of interstellar species who are, for all their flaws, much better than the alternative.  At the start of the 20th Century, Earth has NO clue that they're under the Alliance's protection as a 'potential member in centuries to come'. For once, it is Earth that suffers in ignorance thanks to a philosophy of non interference predominating among the Alliance. Earth is actually important. The space around it is actually rife with warpgates, which allow easy access into hyperspace. In short, it's a hub for travel if you have the right technology. What's more, humans show signs of remarkable genetic potential. Whether it is natural, or some Pre-Alliance tampering is the subject of much debate among Alliance scientists who know of the humans.

 

 

But being ignorant with nice neighbors is dull. The Alliance can't be alone. Let's say that they find themselves suddenly besieged by the forces of Xarn the Inexorable, Tyrant of the Dutharian Ascendency!  The alliance is caught off guard, whole sectors are lost in the first attack. And Earth's sector is next.

 

The politicians of the Alliance debate and squable about whether they should even try to save Earth, or abandon it and focus on its more 'important members'. One Alliance scientist proposes a radical solution....

conscript hundreds of Earth men from around the world. Activate their genetic potential, and send them to war against the Ascendency!

 

Earth is harvested for its people who have the potential to be living weapons. With surprising discretion, compatible subjects are found and pressed into service, waking up to find themselves in a battle of the stars.

 

Ironically enough, this happens but one year before WWI, aka "The Great War".

 

Thanks in no small part to Earth 'heroes', the Ascendency is driven back, and a wary peace renewed. The Earth humans who were super powered soldiers are supposed to have their powers 'deactivated' and their memories wiped.

 

Only it doesn't work 100%. The Roaring 20s and Depression both have a rise of 'mystery men', fellows who may no longer have powers, but remember fighting evil. Some people instead remember a normal life, but find powers they didn't even know they had slowly returning. Cue the Superman homage guy who is destined to become the greatest of them all just in time for World War 2.

 

And from their, they set the stage for superheroes to crop up. Superheroes wear costumes because the aliens put them in 'special unit uniforms' and some of them subconsciously remember that.  It establishes a trend. Some humans recall enough of Alien tech to make amazing devices.

 

(Which brings up an interesting thought... do agents of the Alliance scramble to surpress super science in order to keep Earth as close to its original 'development path' as possible? It would explain why our setting won't be one where everyone has 'flying cars' by the 21st Century)

 

The Mcarthy Era gives a good reason for many superheroes to go underground somewhat in a tip of the hat to the All Star Squadron's 'retirement' in comics. Offspring are born, and legacies are certainly possible. They'll be taking center stage at later decades. By then, even those with no genetic potential at all will have been inspired by 'golden age heroes' and there will be plenty of heroes who get by on tech and training as well.

 

At this point, the magic loving players whine. They want to play mystic origin types, and there seems to be  NO way to do this in the game world. As they have great influence over my pizza flow, I decide to yield to their demands but I still want to be a little different.

 

So I go with the old 'magic returns' gag, but I decide to go with the whole 'The Mayans weren't all wrong' bit...and make the year it returns 2012!

 

Yeah, mythic gods are no longer banished (Maybe Jesus didn't want competition) and with their return comes quite a few changes as well. Atlantis returning being a big one.., or maybe Atlantis was always there, but the citizens wake up.

 

(Side note: I really think there should be more than one under water civilization, so I decide to have one alien species covertly slip past the Alliance and have set up a Colony here. They'll be more scientific to the Atlantean's mythic stance)

 

Magic works period now. Mystic practiioners, at least some of them, now find that while their Tarot readings may still need work, they can blow the #$#$# out of things with arcane bolts. That's good enough for hero work.

 

What's  more, this means certain groups have a lead on the occult powers. Maybe certain Masonic lodges or Wiccan groups were fooling themselves before, but suddenly their 'how to' books are actually handy. More than one mystic organization is sure to rise fast.

 

By now I realize I'm rambling. There would be a lot more to determine. Were aliens and their interference ever publicly outted? Did any individuals in the Alliance decide to go to Earth to help it in defiance of non-interference? Has the Ascendency learned how to empower humans as well and done so to keep Earth heroes too busy to ever help again?

 

And do I want to face the wrath of my players and introduce characters akin to Foxbat or Ambush Bug?

[massey]

I'm always cautious about unified origins.  If I could like the post from Dean Shomshak twice, I would.  Creating too detailed of a backstory for the world feels artificial to me.  That's my own personal preference.

 

I'm perfectly fine with the classic origins, though.  You got powers because a wizard gave them to you.  Or you got exposed to radiation.  That's fine with me.

[steriaca]

Hermit...wow. It sounds like a world I want to play in. And that is just the bair bones of it.

[Hermit]

I'm always cautious about unified origins.  If I could like the post from Dean Shomshak twice, I would.  Creating too detailed of a backstory for the world feels artificial to me.  That's my own personal preference.

 

I'm perfectly fine with the classic origins, though.  You got powers because a wizard gave them to you.  Or you got exposed to radiation.  That's fine with me.

 

Hermit...wow. It sounds like a world I want to play in. And that is just the bair bones of it.

 

 

Two posts in a row showing fine examples of different strokes being the rule  

 

They say setting books often have the worst sales for superhero RPGs. I wonder if it's because it can be a hard line to walk in finding that balance between trying to make it special in some way, and yet trying to put in something for everyone?

[rjcurrie]

Two posts in a row showing fine examples of different strokes being the rule

 

They say setting books often have the worst sales for superhero RPGs. I wonder if it's because it can be a hard line to walk in finding that balance between trying to make it special in some way, and yet trying to put in something for everyone?

And then there's people like me who don't want to be bothered with detailed publish setting because we don't want to spend time learning it.

 

However a book of setting ideas, each about the length (or maybe a little longer) of Hermit's post above would be great.  Maybe present the basics and then leave a number of questions for the GM to decide as he fills out the setting.

 

Personally, I make a few basic decisions about my world when I start the campaign and then fill it out as I go. When somebody asks about something, I'll make a decision then and there. For example, if someone asks about aliens and I haven't already determined player creation whether aliens were publicly known or not, I can say something like one of the following:

 

* Sure, there's the <alien race 1>, <alien race 2>, and <alien race 3>  (making up names as I go)

* Yes. There are aliens known to the general populous. I'll get you the details next session.

* Well, there are rumors in the superhero community that Mighty Man may be an alien. 

* Well, rumors say that Ultra Woman had some kind of strange encounter in space.

* None that the general public knows about.

* You haven't heard of any aliens even from your top secret government sources.

 

In all cases, I've said something about aliens in the universe that I should expand upon between sessions.  I may have also laid down possible future plotlines with my answers.

 

Essentially, for a lot of things, until I need them I don't worry about them. For example, why worry about detailing that mysterious top secret government agency that may be up to no good until something happens to bring them in contact with the player characters in some way.

 

And if you find you're regretting some of your "on the fly" decisions, there are always ways.to rectify it.  For example, let's say you hastily call an alilen race "Spatulans" from the plaent  "Spatula" and you decide you'd like to change it.  Maybe one of the aliens tells the players "Look, I know you Earthers are used to calling us Spatulans from the planet Spatula, but I really wish you wouldn't.  Our leader makes one sarcastic comment at a press conference and suddently six billion Earthers are calling us that. ..."

 

For me, as a GM, I enjoy the process of discovering the Universe along with my players. It feels like a comic book universe to me where you learn bits and pieces as you go along.

 

Similarly, as a player, I usually don't want to know more than what my character knows.

[bubba smith]

super-heroes that ARE NOT used as cheap labor for federal agencies

[DJWebb2]

What I'd like is a street noir setting - low powered / street level with actual powers, not world threatening/ending metaplot stuff. Pseudo-real world ala Heroes For Hire and the iike.

[Jason S.Walters]

There is a distinct possibility that Hero Games will be releasing a non-Champions Universe superhero product next year. I'm not prepared at this point to give any details, however, and it's not because working with Cryptic Studious has been in any way difficult or unpleasant. Far from it. It's just that there's a possibility of doing a particular superhero setting book that we would like to do, would most likely be popular enough on Kickstarter  to make it economically viable, and I believe we can get permission to do it.

 

I'll tell you all more as I know more.

 

Jason Walters, Hero Games CEO 

[Alewis478]

Permission? So it's a current IP (maybe). Let the speculation begin. Or I guess that could mean permission from Cryptic.

[rjcurrie]

Permission? So it's a current IP (maybe). Let the speculation begin. Or I guess that could mean permission from Cryptic.

 

My guess is that he means obtain the rights to adapt an existing IP.

I think Cryptic might only need to give permission if they want to package it as a "Champions" product.  If they just packaged it as a Hero Games product, they may not need their permission.  But I am not fully aware of the terms of the Cryptic-DoJ deal.

It's also possible that Jason means the permission of the Hero Secret Masters -- the people who actually own most of Hero.

[steriaca]

Let me guess...Sailor Moon Crystal, right? (-gets pelted by the anime haters on the board, followed by the Sailor Moon haters-)

[Hermit]

Intriguing! Best of luck, Jason!

[Tasha]

My guess is that he means obtain the rights to adapt an existing IP.

 

So a good Superheroic IP that is available for little to no money. Silver Age Sentinels was a great gameworld, it seemed that they got burned by the d20 mess like a number of other smallish companies. Switching the system to Hero could be a really good thing. There was already a crossover adventure that seemed to do well enough. Be cool if they could get Reaper to spin a run of the SAS miniatures to sell with the Kickstarter.

 

There aren't that many other Superhero IP's that could generate good sales. CrossGen's universe was a bit too weird and not completely developed IMHO.

 

Valiant Comics is trying to get on it's feet. It's publishing new books under the classic titles. Though I wonder how much of a fanbase Valiant has.

 

I guess they could do a new version of San Angelo. It was a great supers universe, but really niche to Champions/Hero Gamers only.

 

Well if it's cool enough, I'll back whatever they do on Kickstarter.

 

 

[Scott Baker]

Interesting news. I look forward to hearing more.

[rjcurrie]

So a good Superheroic IP that is available for little to no money. Silver Age Sentinels was a great gameworld, it seemed that they got burned by the d20 mess like a number of other smallish companies. Switching the system to Hero could be a really good thing. There was already a crossover adventure that seemed to do well enough. Be cool if they could get Reaper to spin a run of the SAS miniatures to sell with the Kickstarter.

 

There aren't that many other Superhero IP's that could generate good sales. CrossGen's universe was a bit too weird and not completely developed IMHO.

 

Valiant Comics is trying to get on it's feet. It's publishing new books under the classic titles. Though I wonder how much of a fanbase Valiant has.

 

I guess they could do a new version of San Angelo. It was a great supers universe, but really niche to Champions/Hero Gamers only.

 

Well if it's cool enough, I'll back whatever they do on Kickstarter.

 

 

 

No real ideas on what it could be.  And I'm not sure that any of the ones you list appeal to me.  Of course, I have to admit that given the approach that Hero Games has taken on Kickstarter in regards to international shipping issues (and yes, I understand there are serious issues), I'm getting more and more reluctant to support anything they do there.  I can't help but think that there has to be a better solution than treating international customers like second class fans.  

[Tasha]

Get the US Congress to undo the stupid stuff they did that has nearly killed the USPS?

I hear that international Shipping rates have shot through the roof this year

 

Who knows I may be quite wrong about the properties they are looking to publish.

[Steve]

I wonder if it would be possible to sell them through Amazon in Europe to get around the shipping cost problem? Kickstarter supporters could get a coupon to buy the item. I don't know if Amazon ships things internally or would expect Hero to ship to a European Amazon warehouse directly, which would probably defeat an attempt at reducing shipping costs.

[Greywind]

I don't know what, but I'm aware that Greater Than Games found a way to deal with the shipping costs for their kickstarters.

[Tasha]

I don't know what, but I'm aware that Greater Than Games found a way to deal with the shipping costs for their kickstarters.

 

So did Hero for FHC after the KS gained a certain amount of money.

[bubba smith]

can we please return to the topic at hand "?I think we have gotten sidetracked

[DShomshak]

Quite right, Bubba Smith.

 

Last I heard, it was still possible for new CU material to appear as Hero Plus licensed products. This requires approval from Cryptic as well as Jason, though, and in my one attempt I found Cryptic's standards, well, cryptic.

 

Instead, I now work on products that do not mention the CU but could be integrated with it (or other mainstream superhero settings) without too much difficulty. "Spells of the Devachan," available through the HERO store, is my first example. I currently work on the final character illustration for my next mini-book, introducing a series of "Shared Origin" supplements.

 

Still, I would be interested in seeing what sort of CU products other people would like to see. Maybe someone else will be inspired to write them.

 

Dean Shomshak

(Finally able to use the library's computer, hurrah.)

[Lord Liaden]

As far as CU-related material is concerned, besides the previously-mentioned planned source books aborted by the company's downsizing, for my part I'd like to see more development of the unique regions of the Earth that so far have only been passingly mentioned in published books. Champions Earth has a bunch of fictional countries and city-states providing countless opportunities for exotic foreign adventures without having to worry overmuch about real-world geopolitical continuity: Costa Azul, Guamanga, Chiquador, Larisagrad, Awad, Taqiristan, Lugendu, Lurranga. There are also more intriguing "hidden lands" in the setting begging to be dealt with: the underground Kingdom of the Apes, populated by mutated intelligent gorillas; the Valley of Night, a lost colony of the pre-Columbian Inca civilization, ruled by were-jaguar priests; the long-buried city of Grehnesk, home to the monstrous inhuman Grehn, and perilously close to the world's first permanent underwater community, Last Frontier.

 

You could put together a substantial book dealing with all or most of these. I've worked on elaborating a few of them myself, although not to the point of publication, but I'd welcome quality official takes on them.

 

Well, I have to amend the above slightly. I did quite a bit of work on the Valley of Night, and with assistance turned it into a PDF book of sorts, which I got permission from DOJ to post on this website for free. It was almost all original material, not reproducing any published game stats but often referring to other characters and setting elements (from Fifth Edition books). I took it down after the Cryptic sale because I wasn't sure if they'd consider it problematic.

[Lawnmower Boy]

LL's Valley of Night was awesome. And it focussed on a part of the world that he was particularly interested in. That's how you do it when you have a whole world to work with. Personally, I would really like to see Babylon developed. More problematically, I'd like to see it developed as a Cynosure-style city of adventure, something that doesn' t always come through in other peoples' vision of it, where it seems more like a dreamscape. Also, out here on the Pacific Rim, or eyes are drawn west across the Pacific towards Tiger Squad and the Indian Super Division. What's up with them? I would say more about the space setting, except that I haven't been able to convince people that the things I want to see there --West World, a cosmopolitan port city-- should be in the setting at all. 

 

We've had a decent start at the Solar System, though, with a criminally underused Ancient Mars (in my fanfic, I've got Mandaarian archaeologists there, because I think that just makes sense) and a blown-up asteroid planet, so there's that.