Matt Frisbee

Re: [Campaign Log] The New Bay City Rollers A Historical Timeline of Events for the Bay City Rollers Campaign 150,000 BC A large meteor blasts out the crater that will eventually become Stoneshale Bay. The crater weathers over time and fills with water. The four islands are formed from the material left behind by retreating glaciers. 10,000 BC Toward the end of the Ice Age, a tribe of European seal hunters arrives at Stoneshale Bay. They spend a few years living on the southern shores of the bay. During their stay, the tribe shaman dies and the rest bury him on a hill overlooking the bay, topping the grave with a boulder on which they carve with protective symbols. 500 BC to 500 AD A band of Nanticoke Indians (a tribe of the Delaware nation) make a settlement on the north bank of the Kelso River, collecting hard flint for use in spearheads and arrow points. For unknown reasons, the settlement is abandoned around 500 AD. Archaeologists later find several stone monuments and totems made from magnetic meteorite fragments. 650 AD to 700 AD The last known Time of the Gathering, when mundane beings and creatures crossed the dimensional barriers between the shadows of the multiverse. Many demons and strange beings from other earths cross into this reality, giving rise to the Dark Ages. Summer 1088 Residents of a Nordic village in Newfoundland plunder a treasure trove belonging to Angriodtaal, the last pure-blood dragon lord on earth. After he awakens and finds his treasure taken, he transforms and destroys the village to a man, but is mortally wounded by enchanted arrows. Angriodtaal flies away from the area, eventually lying down to die along the southern shore of Stoneshale Bay. 1100 AD Nanticoke Indians again inhabit the north bank of the Kelso River. The mythical warrior hero Pautaukenen is said to have fought and killed ferocious bear-men who threatened the settlement during this time. July 9, 1556 Explorers from Portugal discover Stoneshale Bay and spend a month in the area trading with the Nanticoke, mapping the bay and trapping specimens to take home. October 3, 1698 A shipload of Dutch settlers arrives in Stoneshale Bay and negotiates a deal with the Nanticoke tribe for land along the north shore of the bay and advice for living there. From this point on, the area north of the bay will remain continuously inhabited. The village is named New Lelystad. Winter 1699 A smallpox epidemic wipes out nearly all of the Nanticoke settlement in the area. When spring arrives, the few survivors of the epidemic cross the Kelso River and head up the Sandy River in search of lands away from the Europeans. April 17, 1709 British forces land at Stoneshale Bay, informing the residents of New Lelystad that they are now members of the British Empire. The village’s name is bastardized over the next decade to become known as Newlilly. August 16 thru September 5, 1779 During the Revolutionary War, a battle between an American sloop and a British warship occurs in Delaware Bay near the mouth of Stoneshale Bay. The badly outgunned sloop is defeated and the 128 survivors swim ashore and are captured by troops already stationed in Newlilly. The survivors are taken to Tangier Island where they are summarily tried, convicted of piracy and high treason against the Crown and then hanged. In the years since, the Tangier Patriot Cemetery has been declared a national historic landmark and no citizen of England has ever been allowed to visit the island. Spring 1804 US Navy Captain Theodore Wiley Dawson arrives at Stoneshale Bay, spending the month doing a detailed survey of the bay and the lands around it, discovering the boulder monument south of the bay, the mineral bluffs along the Sandy River, and what would eventually be called Dawson Lake. May 5, 1807 Businessman Caleb Hoyt, having bought up most of the land of Newlilly, changes the name to Bay City and charters it on this day precisely at noon. 1838 to 1846 The first Scarlet Shadow, a masked female vigilante, makes several appearances in Bay City during this period, battling gangs of hoodlums, highwaymen and pirates. 1910 Earth passes through the tail of Halley’s Comet, temporarily exposing millions of humans to the mutating effects of increased cosmic radiation. March 23, 1923 The Bay City Chronicle reports the first appearance of the second Scarlet Shadow, as she busts up a gin smuggling ring. This incarnation of the masked vigilante rides a motorcycle and carries twin pearl-handled revolvers. July 4, 1924 A petite teenage girl in a purple leotard wows the crowds at an Angel City air show by competing in the air races without an airplane. The press dubs her the Purple Martin for the way she darted amongst the planes. 1925 The first exploits of the Crimson Fist in Central City go unreported in the local newspapers. The crime fighter fights a lonely war against Al Capone’s gangs for two more years before finally being acknowledged by the local press. 1926 Scarlet Shadow II battles Li Fong’s Serpentine Circle gang in Bay City’s Chinatown, foiling a plot by that organization to awaken the elder gods. 1927 Angel City’s Purple Martin demonstrates her ability to fly for a Hollywood film crew, becoming the first superhuman act ever caught on film. Her costume is considered so scandalous that the footage never reaches theaters, languishing in a vault for four decades before being rediscovered. 1928 The Crimson Fist survives an ambush by a dozen of Al Capone’s thugs, but just barely. In retaliation, the hero tears down much of Capone’s empire, forcing the gangster to flee the city temporarily. During this lull, the Fist moves his family to Mission City for their safety. 1929 Scarlet Shadow II, having dismantled the Circle, confronts Li Fong. Their battle through Chinatown ends in a warehouse full of fireworks, which catches fire and then explodes with the two adversaries locked in mortal combat inside it. No trace of either hero or villain is ever found. 1930 The Insidious Doctor Clockwork becomes North America’s first supervillain after he holds Mission City hostage with his armored airship carrying a super-weapon he calls the Electro-Cannon. After two tense days, Purple Martin flies rings around the airship, eventually boarding it and disabling the diabolical weapon. The Doctor escapes, but the weapon, airship and his minions are soon in the hands of federal authorities. The battle becomes the first recorded confrontation between metahumans. March 1, 1931 Shipping magnate and world traveler Daniel Bentley holds the first formal meeting of the International League of Adventurers. The initial roster of this group of “mystery men” includes Madame Z, The Crimson Fist, The Faceless One, Dr. Eureka and Mr. Amnesia. For the rest of the decade, they (assisted by a dozen other specialists) battle the forces of evil all over the world. 1932 The ILA stops a ruthless criminal collector from obtaining the legendary Horn of Valhalla. The League receives invaluable assistance from an Oxford Professor of Anglo-Saxon by the name of J.R.R. Tolkien. 1933 Adventurer and archaeologist Francis Wagner claims to have discovered Atlantis, offering a mystical helmet as proof. He further demonstrates the helmet by donning it and saying its magical transcription aloud. Before dozens of reporters and witnesses, he is magically transformed into Powerhouse, earth’s mightiest mortal, beginning a series of worldwide adventures. 1934 The ILA stops a plot by German saboteurs to plant nerve gas bombs around Paris. Their investigation leads them to small laboratory outside the city, where they confront the owner. Doctor Totentanz battles the group briefly before escaping. 1935 The world’s first team of superheroes assembles in Metropolis to fight the Insidious Doctor Clockwork. The Crimson Fist, Powerhouse and Purple Martin join forces to battle the Doctor’s Electron Brigade, which had menaced the city for days. Victory is achieved at a terrible price for the team, however, as the Crimson Fist is killed along with the Doctor when an explosion rips through the supervillain’s submarine. Purple Martin is severely injured in the fight and spends nearly a year in a Metropolis Hospital. October 1936 After Germany’s embarrassing defeats at the Berlin Olympic Games, Nazi scientists begin a secret program to develop the Übermench, the perfect metahuman soldier. Any semblance of ethics disappears after Hitler shows great personal interest in the program. Albert Zerstoiten is one of the lead scientists on the project in its initial stages of work. December 1936 The ILA battle Doctor Totentanz and his proto-Übermench in Spain. The Faceless One kills Doctor Totentanz to prevent the villain from activating a poison gas bomb in Barcelona, while Madame Z obtains the Doctor’s notes and formulas on the Übermench project. Nearly a dozen of the Doctor’s augmented minions are unaccounted for when the team is forced to pull out. 1937 Purple Martin officially hangs up her cape in an Angel City news conference, citing her desire to settle down and raise a family. By the end of the year, she marries one of the doctors who treated her in Metropolis and moves to Hawaii. 1938 The ILA battles the Death’s Head Legion – the product of Zerstoiten’s improvements to Totentanz’s formulas – in Morocco. The ILA prevents the Legion from obtaining mystical artifacts from an archaeological site, but only by the slimmest of margins. For this failure, Zerstoiten is reassigned to weapons projects, but it is suspected that he has used some of the improved Übermench formulas on himself. 1939 Francis “Powerhouse” Wagner addresses the League of Nations along with Charles Lindbergh, asking the European nations to find peaceful means of solving their differences. German Chancellor Adolph Hitler openly mocks their speeches a day later, then announces that Germany’s Übermench program is producing enhanced soldiers for the Reich. 1940 Francis Wagner aids British firefighters during the London Blitz, earning the undying love of England and the ire of The Fuehrer. German Special Forces, including the dreaded Death’s Head Legion, are directed to kill Wagner by any means possible. December 7, 1941 Purple Martin is among the dead at Pearl Harbor, succumbing to wounds she suffered while rescuing sailors during the raid. The ILA learns of the attack too late to prevent it, and offers its services (along with Totentanz’s Übermench notes) to the US Government. When Powerhouse hears the news of Purple Martin’s death, he publicly renounces his pacifist stance from two years earlier and joins British Special Services. January 1942 The United States War Department initiates Project Minuteman, designed to create super soldiers for special missions. Dr. Eureka is the lead scientist on the project. Meanwhile, the ILA disbands as its membership is folded into the Office of Special Services. Madame Z spends the bulk of the war in London using her pre-cognitive powers to aid Allied generals with overall strategy. October 1942 Project Minuteman begins testing of the Omega Process on 4F volunteers. Although there are many failures resulting in permanent disability and death, there are enough successes to create the first super soldier team, dubbed Fire Team Able. December 1942 Powerhouse single-handedly captures a Nazi Übermench commando team near the Coventry ports. British Intelligence subjects them to extensive testing in an attempt to unlock the secret of super soldiers. March 1943 The Faceless One is missing and presumed dead in France while on an OSS mission to aid the French Resistance. June 1943 Francis Wagner is killed in action while on an OSS mission near Amsterdam. The mystic helmet that transforms him into Powerhouse remains missing to this day. Gestapo agents use inhumanly brutal tactics on the populace in a fruitless effort to locate it. September 1943 The Black Falcon makes his first appearance in Mission City by thwarting plans by Japanese saboteurs to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge. Although he is rejected for military combat service because of his race, the hero lends his metahuman abilities to aid the Civil Air Patrol for the balance of the war. April 1944 While on a commando raid, Fire Team Able battles the Death’s Head Legion in Nice. Able is forced to withdraw, but inflicts heavy casualties on the Legion. May 1944 Fire Team Able destroys the Übermench laboratories and facilities near Hanover, killing the remaining members of the Death’s Head Legion as well as most of the scientists working on the project. Time runs short, however, and the team leaves the notes, formulas and project records behind as reinforcements arrive. Decimated by heavy casualties, Fire Team Able will see no further action during the war. March 1945 Albert Zerstoiten is rescued from a torpedoed German transport ship and is taken to a London hospital to recover from the horrific burns he suffered in the attack. Summer 1945 V-E Day and V-J Day mark the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War. Soldiers of the Soviet Union find the Übermench program notes in the ruins of Berlin and soon begin their own super soldier program. February 1946 Jeremiah Pinkowski, an unemployed drifter, blunders into the Nevada Test Site during an aboveground nuclear test and is becomes Isotope, the Radioactive Man. After initially cooperating with scientists studying his case, he kills the research team to a man and is on the run from federal authorities. July 1946 Madame Z leaves government service to open a fortune-telling shop in Bay City that is highly successful. Many Washington DC politicians seek her advice on various issues. She also spends much of her free time assisting humanitarian efforts to rebuild Europe. January 15, 1947 The first meeting of the newly formed United Nations in Mission City nearly ends in disaster when a new supervillain appears. The Manipulator’s Mezmertron gets the assembly to pass its first resolution naming him Supreme Master of the World, just before Black Falcon destroys the device. The general assembly immediately rescinds the declaration, but the Manipulator escapes. January 1948 to June 1952 Reports of sea monsters and mutated sea creatures along the southern coasts of Shikoku and Honshu escalate to the point where the Japanese government conducts an independent investigation. While the final report points no fingers, it does conclude that most of the reports are credible and the newly formed Japanese Self-Defense Force begins drills for the containment and repulsion of “monster” threats. July 4, 1948 The first permanent metahuman team of superheroes is founded in Metropolis. The initial roll call of The Crusaders has four members: Athena, Doctor Merlin, Liberty Belle and Screaming Eagle. 1949 A horrifically disfigured Dr. Albert Zerstoiten arrives in the United States and begins a short period of work for the federal government’s advanced weapons program. Many former Nazi scientists refuse to work with him, based on his past work with the Übermench program, his complete lack of ethics and his arrogant personality. April 2, 1950 Eric Roberts is born in Central City. Summer 1950 The United Nations sends combat forces to Korea, beginning the Korean War. Screaming Eagle quits the Crusaders to fight in the conflict. He is severely wounded three months later and remains hospitalized for the rest of the war. 1951 Lakeport’s first superhero, Captain Midnight, begins a decade of adventures battling The Blue Moon Cult criminal organization. 1952 Dr. Albert Zerstoiten leaves the United States, setting up a secret research facility in South America. The locals nickname him “Doctor Destroyer” for his work supplying revolutionaries with explosives. September 10, 1953 The Gray Ghost premieres on CBN, chronicling the adventures of a fictional crime fighter in Hudson City. The show is a runaway success, lasting 12 seasons and forever identifying Simon Trent as the film noir hero. Summer 1954 The Manipulator attempts to destabilize the US Government by trying to replace President Eisenhower and key members of his cabinet with replicas. The scheme is foiled when The Patriot, Washington DC’s stalwart defender, poses as his own replica and discovers the location of the Manipulator’s secret base of operations. Spring 1955 After a period of extended recovery, Screaming Eagle rejoins The Crusaders, though it is well noted in the press that much of his former power has been lost. The group rallies to his defense, naming him the team’s leader. Summer 1956 Captain Midnight confronts Luna, leader of The Blue Moon Cult, for the first time in Lakeport. According to published reports, the battle is protracted, intense and surprisingly personal, as both combatants seem evenly matched. The arrival of local police in force cause Luna to withdraw, leaving Captain Midnight battered and exhausted, but even more resolute to capture Lakeport’s first lady of crime. February 9, 1957 Isotope, the Radioactive Man, goes on a rampage in Sun City, killing two dozen people and injuring hundreds by exposure to hard radiation. The Crusaders arrive after the damage is done, but take heroic steps toward cleaning up the damages and rebuilding the city. Spring 1958 The original four members of the Crusaders begin their final battles for justice as a team against the Major League of Crime. By year’s end, all nine villains have been taken into custody, but Doctor Merlin’s wounds leave him in a coma and Liberty Belle has lost her powers completely. Athena and Screaming Eagle vow to rebuild the team. 1959 The Department of Defense authorizes the US Air Force’s Project Scoop, designed to collect and analyze extraterrestrial organisms using satellites in highly elliptical orbits. At the same time, the National Security Agency approves the Centers for Disease Control’s Project Wildfire, a highly secure biological threat assessment and analysis facility in Northern Nevada. July 23, 1960 Captain Midnight’s climatic battle with Luna holds Lakeport spellbound as it rages across the rooftops of the downtown area. Locked in combat, both hero and villainess tumble from the top of the Madsen Building, but Captain Midnight mysteriously vanishes during the fall, leaving only Luna to greet the pavement thirty stories below. The hero is never seen again. 1961 The Magnificent Seven candidates for the New Crusaders begin a series of highly publicized contests to narrow the group down to three to join Athena and Screaming Eagle. Eventually, Black Falcon, Stratosman and Allie Katt are selected. March 1962 The New Crusaders see their first action against a group of equally green supervillains called the Savage Union. The groups battle to a draw on Liberty Island as tens of thousands witness the fight. September 1962 The Cuban Missile Crisis brings the United States and Soviet Union to the very brink of World War III before being resolved. By presidential order, both the Crusaders and Fire Team Able are kept out of the confrontation. This precedent of keeping metahuman superheroes out of purely political non-metahuman issues is adopted by formal resolution in the United Nations in 1963. November 1963 President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Cattle City, Texas. Members of Fire Team Able guard the popular president’s assassin from the enraged public. Conspiracy theorists will later claim that a former member of the team killed Lee Harvey Oswald, not Jack Ruby. 1964 The Ranger series of moon probes detect lethal levels of cosmic radiation beyond earth’s magnetosphere. Fearful that the Russians will send a team of metahumans to the moon first, the US Government secretly begins subjecting astronauts to an advanced incarnation of the Omega Process pioneered during World War II. February 6, 1965 -- The Day of Kayne Superheroes of North America unite to stop the rampage of the extraterrestrial monster known as Kayne. The entity is brought to ground in San Antonio, Texas, and is destroyed along with the city. Over 10,000 people die in the tragedy, along with Stratosman and Allie Katt, but the heroic actions of dozens of surviving superheroes prevent a far greater tragedy. By the end of the year, the city is being rebuilt with a new name – Metronova. 1966 Doctor Merlin awakens from the coma he entered eight years ago and begins the long road to recovery. March 22, 1967 Isotope creates a national emergency when he attempts to assassinate Congress, the Supreme Court and President Lyndon B. Johnson in Washington DC with his radiation. It takes the combined efforts of Fire Team Able and The Crusaders to stop him, though he manages to escape custody just two days later. June 1, 1968 Eric Roberts enlists in the US Army just days after he graduates high school and soon is serving the first of three tours of duty in Vietnam as an infantryman. August 1968 Black Falcon and Screaming Eagle take an active role in the Bay City Draft Riots when they side with the protestors. After their arrest, Athena declares both unfit for membership in the Crusaders and summarily kicks them off the team. April 7, 1969 This is the first appearance of Dr. Destroyer as a supervillain as he stages a coup in Bolivia by summarily destroying the country’s military and police forces. It takes an ad hoc team of North and South American superheroes to liberate the country three weeks later. Dr. Destroyer escapes. June 20, 1969 -- Moon Day Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin set foot upon the moon in the Sea of Tranquility. Both have been secretly subjected to the Omega Process to make them metahumans capable of withstanding the cosmic radiation there. November 8, 1969 The Scoop VII satellite is knocked out of orbit by a collision with space micro-debris and comes to earth on the remote island of Nauru in the Western Pacific Ocean. Retrieval teams discover that all ten thousand of the island’s inhabitants are dead, seemingly horribly mutated from within. The United Nations Security Council authorizes the use of nuclear weapons to prevent the spread of this extraterrestrial disease and the island is blanketed in thermonuclear fireballs to destroy any residual biological organisms. Meanwhile, the US Air Force evacuates the Scoop VII satellite to the Project Wildlife facility in Northern Nevada for study. 1970 The United Nations creates a special investigation commission to research metahumans and metahuman activities, along with their impact on world politics, economics and mass psychology. Preliminary results indicate the release of Kayne energies to be a triggering event for the recent upsurge in the worldwide population of metahumans, which has topped one thousand. March 1971 thru February 1972 After extensive testing, the Scoop VII virus is confirmed to be a mutagenic virus and the scientists on the project recommend all existing cultures and samples be destroyed to protect earth from its effects. Over the next few months, the National Security Agency will remove over 20 leading scientists from the project. Their memories of all they saw and heard while on the project are forcibly removed by a series of injections of a secret hallucinogenic mycotoxin codenamed Summer Wind. New scientists are assigned the job of making the Scoop VII virus into an effective biological weapon. May 12, 1971 Isotope is finally captured in Alaska. He is immediately transported to the special holding facility in Maryland called The Hole. It is the first prison exclusively designed to hold a single inmate, and it was build in response to Isotope’s rampage in Washington DC. March 7 – 9, 1972 The Manipulator teams up with other European supervillains to kidnap the leaders of the free world during a G-7 meeting in Metropolis. The plan sees brief success, but the Crusaders manage to rescue the hostages without causing a major international incident. All of the supervillains manage to escape. June 19, 1972 In Vietnam, Eric Roberts is maimed by a Viet Cong landmine and is discharged from the US Army for medical reasons. He spends most of the next two years recovering from his injuries at various Army hospitals in Japan, Hawaii and California. March 23, 1973 -- The Day of the Destroyer Doctor Destroyer attempts to use sabotaged satellites to beam a signal that will kill off 90% of earth’s human population as part of his master plan to conquer the planet. The plan is just barely foiled by the united efforts of superheroes from all over the world. Attempts to locate Doctor Destroyer afterwards, however, fail completely. October 31, 1973 -- The Halloween Virus The Scoop VII extraterrestrial virus escapes containment at the Project Wildfire facility, killing all but three of the staff in less than an hour. By the end of the day over a thousand people have died and the virus begins to spread around the world. However, there are no more deaths after the first day. The US Government claims that a nerve gas disposal accident is responsible for the deaths, initiating one of the most massive cover-up efforts ever attempted. Summer 1974 -- The Summer of Fear Mister Frost runs amok in Central City, spreading terror and death for most of the summer. On Labor Day, a group of low-powered, little-known Midwestern heroes team up to defeat Mr. Frost’s scheme to freeze the Windy City solid. The group becomes the Central City Champions. November 1974 Eric Roberts is released from a military hospital in California and is contacted by Orb Corporation to be one of the test subjects for a new generation of prosthetic limbs. He agrees and is taken to a secret facility in Puerto Rico to begin the process of fitting and adjustment of bionic limbs. April 9, 1975 Isotope manages to escape from The Hole, triggering an intense nationwide manhunt. The supervillain goes underground, possibly leaving the country. July 4, 1976 The Bicentennial celebrations in Washington DC are interrupted by the Manipulator’s final attempt at taking over the United States. The Patriot battles the nefarious supervillain on the National Mall as nearly one hundred thousand people watch. The Manipulator refuses to surrender and the Patriot, who has already taken mortal wounds, is forced to kill him to protect President Ford. The Patriot dies of his injuries three days later at Bethesda Naval Hospital and becomes the first known metahuman buried in Arlington National Cemetery. January 1977 The Orb Corporation subjects Eric Roberts to the Omega Process in a final desperate attempt to salvage their failing bionics program that has killed all of the other test subjects via the effects of Cybernetics Rejection Syndrome. Roberts survives the process, but the regenerative effects cause his body to permanently merge with the bionics attached to his body, creating the world’s first true cyborg. September 1977 Eric Roberts murders the staff of the Orb Facility in Puerto Rico and uses his newfound powers to loot the Orb Corporation treasuries, as well as plunder the secure databanks of the Orb computer network and the fledgling Internet before escaping the island completely. June 13, 1978 -- The Death of Detroit Doctor Destroyer holds the city of Detroit and its citizens hostage for three days, demanding it be made a sovereign city-state under his control. Fire Team Alpha (formerly Able) teams up with the Champions and Crusaders to end the scheme, but fail to prevent the supervillain’s neutron bomb from detonating. Over three thousand people (mostly emergency services workers) die when the bomb detonates. Heroic efforts on the part of the Champions to contain the damage results in the death of three of its members while the rest suffer severe radiation burns. Due to the contamination, much of Old Detroit is demolished and the US Government begins a massive rebuilding effort aimed at making the city better than it ever was by the year 2000. The media seizes on the idea, dubbing it the Millennium City Project. The name sticks for the new city. 1979 – The Metagenics War The Iranian Hostage Crisis ends when President Carter sends Fire Team Alpha into Iran. The mission is a complete success, though two of the team die in the operation. America faces the music in the United Nations when Iran (backed by a coalition of Arab states and the Soviet Union) files a formal grievance and demands sanctions, but casts the lone dissenting vote that vetoes the measure. This move is generally regarded as the beginning of the “Metagenetics War” between the superpowers to develop metahumans into national combatants. January 1980 The American Super Soldier Project is expanded, creating two new teams of military metahumans – Fire Teams Bravo and Charlie. Team Bravo consists of eight low-powered former superheroes while Team Charlie consists of ten products of the Omega Process. Fire Team Alpha remains a mix of the two with six members total. March 3, 1981 -- The Brawl in Buenos Aires Much of this city’s western suburbs are destroyed when a mercenary team of metahumans hired by Orb Corporation attacks the hideout of Colonel Fang (a.k.a. Eric Roberts). Fang has augmented his cyborg body with advanced weapons and materials since his escape from Puerto Rico and forces the surviving members of the mercenary team to retreat. Hundreds of civilians are wounded in the battle, which caused over $5 million in property damage. Orb Corporation spends many millions of dollars to cover up the incident. August 5 – 10, 1981 Mr. Frost, with the aid of the Illegal Army (a group of mercenary metahumans), commandeers a Soviet nuclear missile submarine and threatens several major cities worldwide with destruction. The ransom is paid by the Soviets, but the Crusaders return the sub and several members of the Illegal Army to the USSR. April 1982 Rogue Legion, the criminal paramilitary organization headed by Colonel Fang, makes its first recorded appearance with a string of armored car robberies over three weeks in Olympia. The group nets $7.5 million before Fire Team Charlie puts an end to the crime spree, arresting over a dozen members of the group. The money, however, is never recovered. March 1983 Isaiah Groombridge, a survivor of the Day of Kayne, dons a particularly vivid costume and becomes Mountainside, Colorado’s first superhero as the metahuman martial artist Tigerstripe. His first heroic act is battling and apprehending the local supervillain Black Fire before he could carry out a spree of revenge killings for his arrest in Mountainside four years earlier. Summer 1984 -- Close Call in the Congo Agents of Doctor Destroyer raid several sensitive military facilities around the world, obtaining various nerve agents and poison gasses in sufficient quantity to threaten the world’s population. A combined force of European, Middle Eastern and African heroes locate and raid the Doctor’s facility in the Congo in time to prevent the launch of a rocket to deliver deadly payloads of poison gas over the world’s major cities. May 1985 The first US Metahuman Registration Act is narrowly defeated in the Senate after a 31-hour filibuster by its opponents. January 1986 The multinational Orb Corporation establishes its corporate headquarters in Lakeport, Wisconsin, beginning a long economic boom for the city. The move is viewed as controversial by most in the business world, and the mayor of Central City considers it a snub. February 1987 The Sentinels form in Mission City to counter the threat of the Chaos Crew, a group of metahuman nihilists. The Sentinels barely manage to stop the Crew’s plot to unleash a magnitude 9.0 earthquake along the San Andreas Fault. June 15 – 19, 1988 Twenty-two years after awakening from a coma, Doctor Merlin suffers a massive stroke and is declared clinically dead. Athena refuses to allow medical staff to remove life support, staging a three-day standoff with the authorities. Screaming Eagle manages to talk the distraught superheroine into relenting. The two heroes reconcile their past differences before the end of the year. Summer 1989 The plucky and beautiful martial artist metahuman Krystal Blue makes her first appearance in River City, capturing the hearts of its citizens while rounding up three members of the FBI’s Most Wanted List in a span of six weeks, and breaking up an Exocaine drug distribution ring. Krystal Blue capitalizes on her newfound fame and becomes the first professionally sponsored superhero. November 1990 The world’s metahumans stand united against the might of the extraterrestrial entity known as The Infinite Man when he attempts to enslave the planet. The final battle takes place on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, when Doctor Destroyer engages the invader in single combat while the Crusaders destroy his psychic amplification rig. In the midst of the battle, The Infinite Man disappears and is not seen on earth again. March 1991 The Blue Moon Killer makes his first appearance in Hudson City. His solitary war on crime is a spree of vigilantism that forces the local authorities to act. The Hudson City Police Department sets up a task force to capture and unmask him. August 1991 The third woman to take up the mantle of the Scarlet Shadow begins her crusade against crime in Bay City with the breaking of a heroin smuggling ring that implicates two members of the City Council. March 21, 1992 The first Supermax Corrections Facility, specifically designed to hold more than one supervillain, is completed inside of Jackass Mesa, Nevada. By the end of the year, it holds nearly one hundred inmates and several more facilities around the US are approved for construction, including a 250-bed facility on Bloc Island in Stoneshale Bay. Fall 1993 -- The End of the Metagenetics War The Soviet Union reveals the existence of its super soldiers with a lightning raid on an Anti-Ballistics Missile prototype testing facility on Midway Island in the Pacific. The Soviet team takes great care not to cause casualties in the attack, which destroys the facility. In a move to head off war, the Kremlin takes full responsibility for violating the informal international agreement concerning metahumans used for political means, but argues that it was essential to their security and that the facility was in violation of the SALT treaty the two superpowers signed in the 1970’s. The incident puts America on the defensive in the world’s eyes, and soon both superpowers negotiate an end to the Metagenetics War, by agreeing to United Nations oversight of their respective super soldier programs. Christmas Eve 1993 Scarlet Shadow III battles agents of the mystic criminal organization known as DEMON. She foils their plot to rob the Historical Museum of a collection of what are assumed to be dinosaur bones found in a construction site on the south shore of Stoneshale Bay. Officials move the bones to a more secure location a month later. April 30, 1994 The Central City Champions fight their most infamous battle as they take on a new foe: Mindbender. During the battle, Maul, the team’s most powerful member, turns coat on them and batters the team into defeat. Although the Champions are beaten, they still manage to keep the supervillainess from introducing mind-altering chemicals into the Central City water supply. However, they cannot reverse the effects those chemicals have had on their former teammate. Maul eventually escapes from a secure hospital facility and becomes a feared supervillain. October 16, 1994 Tigerstripe is critically injured while battling Maul in downtown Mountainside, though the hero does manage to distract the villain long enough for the Sentinels to capture him. Isaiah spends the rest of the year recovering from his injuries. Summer 1995 The Mission City Sentinels do battle with a group of Doctor Destroyer’s metahuman mercenaries in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, culminating a weeklong series of showdowns between both teams with a massive twilight battle around Coit Tower. Photographer Ian Christopher catches the action with his camera, producing the most visually stunning images of supers in action to date. February 9, 1996 Krystal Blue is maimed in a fight against members of Rogue Legion. When news of this reaches Central City, the Champions travel to River City and spend the next week hunting down those responsible and destroying their base of operations there. Although she loses her left leg, the city’s beloved superheroine makes her recovery and resumes the fight against crime with specially designed prosthetic from the Orb Corporation. November 15, 1996 A second attempt at a Metahuman Registration Act dies in debate in the US Congress after members of both sides of the aisle agree to table the issue until the House Subcommittee on Metahumans Activities can make a report on the issue. Spring 1997 At the urgings of local police and the FBI, the Crusaders make several highly publicized attempts at capturing the Blue Moon Killer in Hudson City, but they all fail. The FBI puts out a $1 million reward for information leasing to his arrest, but that also produces no results. July 17, 1997 -- The Day of Silence Rogue Legion hackers aiding Colonel Fang manage to completely cripple the North American phone network as well as the Internet. Then Fang takes control of broadcast satellites to demand a ransom of $300 million dollars from the US Government to restore the services. While the government stalls for time, Fire Teams Alpha, Bravo and Charlie raid the Rogue Legion base near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The fight rages for nearly an hour before the teams finally take control. While many of the hackers are captured, once again, Colonel Fang escapes. The phone systems and Internet are repaired over the next two days. January 31, 1998 The Metahuman Registration Act is passed by a unanimous vote of Congress and is signed into law. The MRA creates the Bureau of Metahuman Affairs to regulate legal metahuman activities. Only around 40 metahumans register by year’s end. April 1998 The supervillain Buzzsaw makes the first of several attacks on Orb Corporation facilities on the west coast. Fire Team Charlie is sent to protect sensitive military projects Orb is developing. The projects are protected at the cost of the lives of three team members, but Buzzsaw remains at large. May 1999 The Central City Champions call for help in dealing with a powerful, well-organized group of supervillains known as the Zodiac. The Sentinels and Krystal Blue answer the call, and the combined group vanquishes the villains in a climactic battle in Grant Park. Sadly, fifteen onlookers are seriously hurt during the battle, despite the best efforts of the heroes, but all make a full recovery. Fall 1999 The rise of Millennial Doomsday Cults and the Y2K scare fuel new rounds of paranoia throughout the world. Supervillain activity during the final three months of this year is virtually non-existent, giving superheroes a chance to rest up for a busy new year. January 2000 After a quiet week to begin the year, supervillains begin making up for lost time and metahuman crime surges, as superheroes are nearly overwhelmed. The first Metahuman Activities Response Squads funded by the BMA see action in Metropolis and Angel City. March 12, 2000 -- The Skyline Scrap The Blue Moon Killer battles Buzzsaw in downtown Hudson City, causing ten deaths, seriously injuring forty others and doing nearly a million dollars in property damage. The fight is carries live nationwide on the All News Network (ANN) and is the subject of several documentaries over the next year. Both combatants come out of the fight the worse for wear and it is generally held that the battle was a draw. August 28, 2000 Scarlet Shadow III issues an anonymous statement indicating her retirement from crime fighting, which she blames on the Metahuman Registration Act. “I cannot defend the people,” she states, “if my identity is known by anyone – especially an organization run by a bunch of bumbling bureaucrats.” January 2001 -- The White Lotus Lakeport gains its first defender in four decades when the White Lotus, a metahuman martial artist, battles Maul to a draw on the Lake Freeway Bridge. During the year, White Lotus battles an assortment of scum and villainy, including Buzzsaw and the Golden Phoenix. April 2001 Rogue Legion, with the assistance of the Illegal Army, overthrows the government of Cambodia, loots the treasury, takes several other national treasures and then escapes before Indian, Australian and Chinese heroes can respond. September 11, 2001 -- The Near Miss In the United States, 19 Saudi Arabian men are found murdered near four east coast airports. The men all had detailed plans for hijacking passenger jets and aerial maps marking out the World Trade Center and other targets in Washington DC. The murderer(s), who is (are) presumed to be metahuman(s), remain at large today. October 31, 2001 A gang of strong-arm thieves murders Simon Trent in his Angel City home. A masked avenger wearing a Gray Ghost costume catches the murderers as they attempt to flee, and turns them over to the police. January 2002 -- The Defenders of Lakeport With the completion of the Lakehold facility nearby, White Lotus is joined by three other superheroes that assist him with his war on crime – Kodiak, Weather Girl and Quad. August 2, 2002 -- Blank Friday The infamous Day the World Forgot leaves everyone on the planet wondering what happened. Absolutely nobody has any memories of this day and no records of this day exist anywhere. “Blank Paranoia” sweeps the world for several weeks afterward, but the effects seem limited to a single day. Winter 2003 Using the Freedom of Information Act, ANN finally obtains copies of the only surviving documents pertaining to Project Wildfire and breaks the story of the Halloween Virus to the world. The story suggests that a recent upsurge in metahuman activity and in overall power levels of metahumans, as well certain mutations of various animals may be connected to the release of the virus, which is a virulent mutagenic. March 2003 Bay City’s first registered superhero, The Blue Streak (a metahuman speedster), begins to battle crime, albeit sporadically. Summer 2003 After her exposure to the powers of the Timemaster, Phoebe Maxim (only child of Lars Maxim, CEO of Orb Corporation) becomes Phaseshift, a metahuman speedster. She teams up with White Lotus to aid his war on crime for the rest of the summer then joins the Central City Champions. July 15, 2003 Runaway Claire Vosser meets an aged Madame Z at a cafe in Bay City. The mystic takes her in and teaches her the craft while Claire’s abilities develop. December 10, 2003 During a police pursuit, a cruiser wrecks on the south side of Lakeport and catches fire with the enforcers trapped inside. A large muscular woman with green skin tears the vehicle open, rescuing the occupants from certain death. Later that day, the same woman apprehends the fugitives the police were chasing. While the local press dubs her the city’s new “Emerald Warrior,” the name Emerald is the one that eventually sticks. March 7, 2004 Phaseshift corners the Timemaster on a cargo ship in Lake Michigan, as he activates his temporal disruptor. The resulting explosion tears the ship apart and both heroine and villain (along with about a third of the ship) disappear. Summer 2004 Emerald begins battling crime on a regular basis in Lakeport as the White Lotus leaves the city to join the newly formed metahuman superhero team, the Angel City Avengers. Fall 2004 The Blue Streak takes an extended break from superheroic activity. The local office of the BMA claims the absence is so the hero can attend to “personal matters.” December 2004 Isaiah Groombridge takes over as the Area Supervisor of Bay City. Shortly after he takes office, Madame Z and Claire Vosser pay a call and both become registered metahuman mystics (to back up advertising claims of their fortune-telling business). January 2005 -- The Bay City Rollers Three new metahumans – Artemis, Firehawk and Longbow – take up the challenge of being Bay City’s defenders. Their first challenge has them battling an ad hoc supervillain team led by Spellbound. Though the fight ends in a draw, Spellbound’s plot to drain a neighboring dimension is thwarted. As a joke, a press pundit dubs the new heroes the “Bay City Rollers,” but the name sticks. February 2005 The Bay City Rollers thwart supervillain cyborg Yatsomoto’s plot to murder seven descendents of the people who disgraced one of his ancestors during the Civil War, though most of the villains working with Yatsomoto escape. March 15-17, 2005 Mayhem goes on a rampage in Washington DC, seriously injuring seven people (including Captain Freedom) and causes several million dollars in damage to five government buildings. Two days later, Raging Bill attacks his old nemesis in Bay City, and the Bay City Rollers (with new member Paragon) clear the area of civilians before wading into the fray to subdue both villains. April 2005 A prototype exploration robot being tested for NASA space missions apparently becomes self-aware and escapes from its testing facility in New Mexico. Later in the month, an artificial lifeform armed with lasers takes over an automated electronics assembly facility in Metronova, producing highly advanced components for itself. By the time police arrive the first Mechanon is complete. The battle is brief and decisive, and Mechanon escapes. Eventually, the Crusaders track down the rogue robot and destroy it on the outskirts of Metropolis. It is discovered afterwards that it created copies of itself and shipped them to various locations around the world. May 2005 The Bay City Rollers stop a terrorist revenge plot by Gravitar to destroy Bay City, but when the villain’s graviton bomb explodes, it interacts with Artemis’ magic amulet and creates a time warp that throws the heroes six months forward in time, permanently transforming Artemis in the process. August 2005 -- Hurricane Katrina The hurricane destroys a large section of Crescent City at the beginning of the month, killing several hundred residents when levees fail and flood the city. Both heroic and villainous metahumans band together to assist in the relief and recovery efforts. That city’s defender, Moon Dog, is missing and presumed dead after the storm. Fall 2005 -- The Rollers Disband Artemis and Claire “Crystal” Vosser leave our reality to battle extra-dimensional forces that threaten earth; Paragon accepts an invitation to become the new defender of Washington DC; Firehawk leaves Bay City to pursue an acting career in Angel City; Longbow accepts an invitation to join the Central City Champions; leaving only Low-Rent to carry on the fight against crime in Bay City. 2006 Rogue Legion activity increases worldwide, including several successful operations in Southeast Asia and South America that net the group an estimated $350 million. March 6, 2006 Fire Teams Alpha and Bravo raid the Illegal Army’s secret base in Tanzania. The battle rages for over an hour before the surviving members of the organization surrender. Trials held later that year in the World Court sentence the survivors to life imprisonment in the United States. Summer 2006 Rumors abound that Doctor Destroyer is dead, as neither he nor any of his minions have been seen for over two years. None of these rumors are confirmed. November 14, 2006 After Low-Rent is badly injured, Isaiah Groombridge dons the garb of Tigerstripe one last time to battle the supervillain who almost killed him 12 years ago – Black Fire. Aided by the best gadgets the BMA can provide, the former hero bests the villain, who is imprisoned on Bloc Island. February 18, 2007 Krystal Blue announces her retirement from crime fighting in River City, citing advancing age and a desire to pursue other interests. April 2007 -- The War On The Ice All contact with all research stations on Antarctica is lost during a severe solar storm. Rescue teams find the entire continent ringed with a force field that aircraft and ships couldn’t penetrate. Doctor Destroyer then announces his return by demanding that the continent be ceded to him or he will keep the force field in place until the people trapped within it freeze or starve to death. The combined might of the world’s superheroes converge on the frozen continent only to find a large force of mercenary supervillains and the Destroyer’s personal army waiting for them. The battle is joined with no quarter asked and none given – resulting in the deaths of dozens of heroes and villains along with hundreds of the Destroyer’s army. In the end, the Destroyer enters the fray, increasing the body count among the heroes, but dying in the end, as he is too proud to surrender. In many countries, the death of the world’s most powerful supervillain is greeted with dancing in the streets, though the cost of the victory becomes all too apparent as nearly half of the world’s superheroes have died in the battle. July 2007 Low-Rent resumes crime fighting in Bay City, starting with the capture of the Green Avenger who is wanted for a long list of petty crimes that occurred in conjunction with his appearances. August 2007 The remaining members of the Mission City Sentinels and the Angel City Avengers unite to form a new team – The West Coast Warriors – based in Mission City. The Central City Champions and the Crusaders manage to find replacements to fill their ranks by the end of the year. Fall 2007 Emboldened by a lack of organized opposition, Rogue Legion conducts a series of sophisticated raids on advanced weapons facilities around North America, Asia and Europe. The organization also begins employing large combat robots on the operations, known as the Dominion series. First session will be on 10/10/07 -- I hope. Matt "The-Busy-GM" Frisbee

Re: [Campaign Log] The New Bay City Rollers And here's the south end of the city map!

Re: [Campaign Log] The New Bay City Rollers Here's the north end of the city map!

Re: [Campaign Log] The New Bay City Rollers POINTS OF INTEREST IN BAY CITY 1st National Bank (3C) This twenty-story building houses the offices and vaults of the city’s largest and most popular bank. As such, there’s an attempt to rob it about once every three months. Slightly more successful robbers know it’s easier to hit one of the five branch locations instead. 12th Street Mission (6D) The five Catholic nuns who run this converted storefront tend to the needs of the downtrodden as best as limited funds can manage. Sister Beatrice is especially well respected in the community for her tireless efforts to help the less fortunate. Advance Technical Institute (3D) With computer and electronics technologies moving forward so rapidly, many people in the business have to take periodic refresher courses to stay competitive. ATI is a technical college that provides those as well as a curriculum for those just getting into the field. Typical enrollment is 2,500 students per semester. Amusement Park (Drummond Island) (4E) The official name is Dream Island Amusement Park, but it’s still the same collection of roller coasters and other thrill rides you’d find in any other park. However, there is also a first-rate water park here that is extremely popular during tourist season. Anika’s Fashions (5B) Most people know this place for its made-to-order seamstress services and tailoring. Superheroes (and a few supervillains) know that the staff also makes costumes with the exotic fabrics and materials their particular professions require – for a fee, of course. Antonio’s (7B) What this family-run (no, not that family) Italian restaurant lacks in decor, it makes up for in friendly service and great, authentic flavor from the old country. Portions tend to be small, but seconds are on the house if you lick your plate clean. Apex Chemical Plant (3E) The stink from this place permeates the Cannery Row district, and is especially bad at night when the winds die down. Inside they synthesize various industrial solvents used in the electronics industry. Aquarium (6F) Despite shortfalls in funding drives in recent years, the Bay City Aquatic Society manages to keep this showplace of fresh and saltwater marine life running, though it tends to be open only on the weekends when the tourists aren’t around. Armory (3E) The Fourth Street Armory has been a busy place since The Near Miss in 2001. Many of the National Guard and Reserve units sent overseas muster here so they can load their equipment aboard ships bound for the world’s hotspots before boarding the planes that will take them there. Art Museum (5B) While the museum art exhibits are fairly mundane, the large plaza of modern sculpture has become a popular place for overstressed office workers from the Financial District to brown bag lunch away from the stresses of work. Athletics Center (6E) A relic from a bygone era, this public gymnasium complex is populated with wannabe athletes from the Lodo and South Shore districts. Most residents avoid the place after dark, as many of the local street gangs take over the basketball courts. Bandshell (Dawson Lake Park) (8B) There’s music in the air here Friday and Saturday evenings during tourist season as a procession of local jazz bands and chamber groups perform free concerts. During the spring and fall, garage bands take the stage, looking for some free exposure. Bay City Community College (2D) This two-year college offers basic core courses for those wanting an Associate’s degree and prep courses for those heading elsewhere for a Bachelor’s or more advanced degree. There are also a number of vocational courses designed to get people quickly into the workplace in a specialized profession. Bay City General Hospital (3B) The largest hospital in the City is also the busiest, since many other facilities have gotten out of trauma care and pro bono public health concerns. Although there were some issues with delays in care a few years back, the situation has improved significantly. Most arrest subjects are brought here for treatment before being processed at Police Headquarters. Bay City International Airport (5C) Even though it is an international airport, most of the regularly scheduled passenger flights are short domestic and commuter flights to locations east of the Mississippi River. Of late, lax security in the long-term parking areas has made them a popular place to park stolen cars with dead bodies in the trunk. Bay City Shipyard (8F) Although they rarely undertake new ship construction, (the facilities are relatively small) this facility does a lot of repair and upgrade work on older ships, as well as scrapping the used up hulks that are beyond saving. Bay City University (7C) This campus of 15,000 students is known for its excellent medical and applied sciences programs, and many residents of the south side are avid fans of the football team, the BCU Strikers. Bayside Boardwalk (4D) This quarter-mile stretch of planks above the tide line is a popular destination for tourists looking for sedate entertainment. There are many souvenir shops, fast food stalls and stands selling cheap fishing gear. Bayside Mall (3C) Although the mall is relatively small, it does have an excellent mix of stores and chain restaurants catering to modestly upscale tastes that has proven both popular and financially successful for all. Bayview Park (5F) This large strip of green overlooking Delaware Bay is one of the most popular destinations in the city. The small hill at the north end offers excellent views of the ship traffic into and out of Stoneshale Bay, plus there are jogging trails, athletic fields and courts, Millennium Fountain and Heroes’ Square. Benedict’s Supermarket (7E) This is probably the largest and most popular food store on the south side, offering a wide variety of traditional fare along with an extensive selection of ethnic foods. Their deli is exceptionally popular, though all orders are carryout only. Big Dawg’s Bail Bonds (2E) Jake “Doberman” Dobson’s crew of bondsmen is the roughest bunch of ex-cons that ever found legitimate work. Their experience with the criminal subculture gives them a rapport with their clients (both normal and metahuman) and dogged determination in tracking down skippers has earned them a reputation as true professionals in the business. Block Island (4E) This barren crag of granite thrusts up from the waterline at a steep angle, indicating that it may be debris left by the retreating glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. Due to the presence of the Supermax Prison, all boat traffic must remain at least 100 yards from its craggy shores. Boulevard of Dreams (4C) The city’s theater district took this fanciful name during the Roaring 20’s and remains dedicated to all forms of live performance art. These days, the companies and venues are small and the runs tend to be short, but many Bay City residents join the tourists to enjoy the diverse offerings. Brooklawn’s (6B) One of the last privately owned department stores on the East Coast, this seven-story building caters to upscale customers with an eye for items of lasting quality and restrained elegance. The men’s store on the fourth floor is a popular place for young corporate ladder-climbers to obtain their first sets of professional threads. Bullseye Guns (1E) This is about the only gun store in the city that both welcomes new customers and offers extensive courses in the use and maintenance of firearms. The owner, “Mad” Jack Cooper, is also a competent gunsmith and can customize weapons and ammunition to their owner’s needs and desires. Caleb Hoyt Memorial Bridge (5F) This immense box-girder structure from the 1950’s rises to a height of 355 feet to accommodate the marine traffic that must pass beneath it, and includes entrance and exit ramps for the traffic headed to Drummond Island’s attractions. Originally designed for the anticipated traffic load from US 113 (which was routed around the city to the west instead), this bridge has aged well and is expected to last for at least another twenty years. Casa del Oro (6C) The “House of Gold” restaurant is famous for putting unique spins on traditional Mexican favorites to please the finicky palates of Bay City’s wealthier residents. Reservations are required, so plan ahead and be prepared to wait for your table, regardless. Celesta Business Park (4B) Celesta got its start at the beginning of the computer age by manufacturing hardware to other personal computer companies, but soon developed its own, highly reliable models and took over nearly a third of the market. Additional sales of highly specialized computer components to the US Government have padded the bottom line in recent years as well. Centennial Park (5B) This park was dedicated to all Bay City citizens on August 28, 1971 – the one-hundredth anniversary of the city’s founding. Its placid lawns are dotted with shade trees and monuments to obscure people and events in the history of the city. It is also a popular place for political protestors to air their view to the public. Center for Human Services (4B) The center is a converted strip mall with the offices for various assistance organizations crammed within. This place is a madhouse on Mondays, when the welfare and unemployment offices are swamped; and again on Fridays, when welfare and other public assistance organizations hand out the weekly checks to the downtrodden. The Chronicle Building (4A) Home to the city’s most respected daily newspaper, this imposing twelve-story building houses all of the offices and printing presses necessary to churn out the evening editions required across most of Delaware. City Hall (5B) Built in the 1970’s, city hall is in desperate need of an overhaul or replacement. The problem is that voters, already sick of being burdened with high property tax rates, have consistently shot down repeated efforts to finance a refurbishment or replacement. City Vehicle Garage (6A) The city’s police, fire, public transportation and other official vehicles are serviced and repaired at this facility in Industrial Park. This facility also stores vehicles that are considered evidence in criminal cases, so security is somewhat tighter than one might expect. City Zoo (1F) The Bay City Zoo has won the praise of ecologists worldwide for its attempt at preserving and celebrating the wildlife of Delaware before the impact of human habitation. These accolades have not translated into financial success for the facility, which relies on corporate support for its lifeblood. Clock Tower Square (3C) This cluster of specialty shops and tourist traps features an immense art deco four-faced clock that chimes out the opening bar to the little-known Bay City anthem (composed by on of the city’s founding fathers). Clubhouse (Glenview Golf Club) (1B) While the 19th Hole Bar is popular during the golf season, the various meeting rooms and ballroom host clubs, parties and receptions year-round. Coast Guard Rescue Station (Tangier Island) (5E) The United States Coast Guard maintains a number of air and sea rescue vehicles and patrol boats here to facilitate their operations in the Delaware Bay. They share runway space with the Naval Air Station. Convention Center (3D) Nearly fifty special events each year are held in this venue that can accommodate up to 25,000 people. The most popular events include the Bay City Gun and Military Collectables Show in May and OtakuCon – a convention dedicated to Japanese anime and manga – every August. County Jail (2F) The Kent County Corrections Facility is for mundane criminals. It generally houses up to 250 medium and high security prisoners for periods from six months to two years. Longer terms are usually served at the state corrections house upstate. Courthouse (5B) The courtrooms in this fifteen-story building handle cases from traffic court all the way up to federal death sentence reviews. As such, many prisoners are held in cells in the sub-basement levels before having their day in court. After a highly publicized courtroom supers brawl involving local heroes and the forces of Rogue Legion, security is always very tight here. Creole Jack’s (2C) A fixture in Excelsior for over twenty years, this restaurant is said to be the only one that advertises exclusively by smell. The menu features both Creole and Cajun items and plenty of drinks designed to help put out the fire after dinner. Daily News (5B) The Bay City Daily News is an upstart organization that is taking tabloid journalism to new extremes with huge headlines, splashy photos on lurid and titillating subjects and writing that is designed to provoke debate and controversy. Much to the chagrin of the more traditional Chronicle, this paper has carved out a noticeable chunk of the market for itself. Dawnhope Medical Center (1A) The city’s premiere cancer and degenerative disease treatment center sees patients from all over the Northeast due its highly impressive track record in treating even the most hopeless of cases. Dawson Lake Park (8A) Named for Theodore Wiley Dawson, the man who conducted the first comprehensive survey of the land around Stoneshale Bay, this is the city’s most popular park. The forested area southwest of the lake was Dawson’s favorite hunting grounds and has been preserved in his honor. Drummond Island (4F) Formerly known as Kelley Island, Drummond Entertainment Corporation bought and then formally changed the name thirty years ago when it developed the island into the Dream Island Amusement Park and Resort. Drummond Tower (4A) The home offices of Drummond Entertainment Corporation are housed in an impressively ultramodern fifty-story structure of glass and steel. Deuce Hardware (1E) Dennis “Deuce Twosome” Newsome opened this mom and pop hardware store over forty years ago and his youngest son “Little Deuce” continues to run the family business today. Between Deuce’s expertise and Little Deuce’s business sense, expect this place to be around for at least another forty years. Eat (3F) This nameless greasy spoon diner endured the Great Depression, World War II and every other calamity since to remain a fixture in Cannery Row. While the food is nothing to rave about, the walls are lined with unframed photos of its regular customers and employees from years past. Elizabeth Island (5D) This island’s sandy shores made it a popular summer destination for boaters on the bay. However, after The Near Miss the island has been declared off limits to all but official vehicles and emergency beachings, due the nuclear power plant. Elizabeth Island Power Facility (5D) This nuclear facility became operational just before the Three Mile Island Accident, but has operated with a pristine record. There are periodic protests, of course, but most Bay City residents are happy to have a local power station that can meet the city’s power demands. Enterprise Plaza (5B) This twenty-story office building was designed to accommodate the needs of small professional firms such as dentists, doctors and architects, but the building is currently home to a bewildering array of Internet businesses that have a high rate of turnover. Eternity Jewelers (2B) Simply put, this is the highest-end jewelry store in Bay City. They stock the most expensive and beautiful diamonds outside of New York City and have their own jewelers and goldsmiths to create dazzlingly unique pieces for discriminating buyers. Extreme Sports Recreation Center (1D) If it has wheels, runs on muscle power alone and can get you hurt in a hurry, you can find it in the X-Shop, and then try it out at the indoor skate park or outdoor stunt pit. Business typically picks up during the winter months, as this is the only place to skate. Federal Building (3B) This imposing ten-story building is home to the offices of several federal government agencies, including the ATF, FBI, IRS, SBA, VA and the BMA (Bureau of Metahuman Affairs). Fish Market (6F) Although it is a popular tourist stop in the afternoons, the real business is done in the morning hours when the grocery procurers and restaurant owners take their picks of the day’s catch. Follow-Thru (1C) This nightclub is a popular place for younger singles looking to dance the night away, provided you can survive the wait to get in and pass muster with the doorman. Dress to impress if you come here to party. Glenview Golf Club (1B) This professional caliber 18-hole course challenges even seasoned professionals, which is why the Bay City Open is held here every year on the first weekend of June. If you’re a duffer, you may want take your game to one of the public courses north of the city, instead. Gray’s Academy (2B) This is a K-thru-12 boarding school for the select few who can meet the stringent entry standards. The school only has about a hundred students at any one time, but pulls them in from all over the country. Greenwood Terrace (7D) While it may not be the worst housing project in the Lodo, it is certainly the most infamous in recent years. While murders are fairly rare with Low-Rent on the prowl, violence and vice are still fairly common here. Hahn, Jones & Marks (4B) This law firm specializes in high-profile criminal cases, such as defending supervillains and celebrities. Because of this, the firm hires its own private security force to protect its staff and property 24/7. The Hamilton (3C) This is the best and most expensive hotel in the entire state of Delaware with all the amenities. The cheapest room in the place is $250 plus tax per night while the Ambassadorial Suite runs nearly twenty times that. Heritage Park (4D) This park contains the only buildings remaining from the first European settlement on Stoneshale Bay. Hoyt’s Landing includes Caleb Hoyt’s A-frame cabin, complete with authentic period furnishings and the original hand-drawn survey maps by Captain Theodore Dawson. Heroes’ Square (Bayview Park) (6F) Bay City has had its share of heroes over the years, though most are the more mundane types such as law enforcers, fire fighters and military veterans. Recently added is a statue to the Blue Streak, superheroic defender of the city for three years in the first decade of the 21st Century. Hexenhaus (2D) This American take on a Bavarian-style beer hall specializes in Germanic brews in all of their varieties (though imports from other European countries are also available), plus serves a menu of tasty dishes inspired by recipes from the Fatherland. Historical Museum (5B) Exhibits, displays and dioramas depict the various historical periods of the Stoneshale Bay area from the end of the Ice Age to modern times. Many rare and wondrous artifacts are kept here, though away from the general public, for historical researchers. Hopper’s Run (7D) This strip of bars and clubs caters almost exclusively to the students of BCU. Some of the better-known establishments include The 321 Club, Baldy’s, Dastardly Dan’s Hideout, Longnecker’s, Sneaky Sally’s Saloon and Tom Shady’s Speakeasy. Ice Arena (1E) The facility is reserved most days during hockey season for practice sessions of Bay City’s NHL franchise, aspiring skaters can still find slots in the early mornings and evenings to sharpen their skills, while local leagues play their games when the team is out of town. InfoTech Center (4B) This ultramodern forty-story office building is the headquarters of the leading business and military software corporation in the United States. As such, the place has some serious security – both electronic and physical. Ingram Towers (5B) At seventy-five stories (825’ or game scale of 125”), this professional business center is the tallest building in the state – and some people would also say it’s the ugliest. Jacob’s Electronics (6A) Not only does Jacob stock a full line of modern electronics parts, he also has a collection of older parts salvaged from junked equipment for restorers and retro fetishists. Key Pawn and Loan (6E) This fairly typical pawnshop does a brisk business in all manner of small valuables, though the owner refuses to deal in firearms or other weapons. The owners have invested heavily in security equipment, though not enough to keep people from trying. Kid Photon (3A) This is city’s largest and most popular video and computer game store, with all the latest titles, an extensive collection of used games and systems, and monthly tournaments to promote sales. Lady of Grace Catholic Church (3C) This lovingly preserved relic of Gothic architecture stands in stark contrast to rest of the local skyline and is one of the largest churches of any faith in the city. Library (5B) This impressive eight-story temple of knowledge and modern architecture houses nearly a million books, and also as many items of other media. The government documents archive on the top floor contains official records of federal, state and local government. Lighthouse (Drummond Island) (4F) Erected in the 1850’s, the massive Kelley’s Point Lighthouse remains in operation today, towering 155’ (23” game scale) above the bay. The structure also figures prominently in all Bay City tourist pamphlets and in the modern logo for the city. Ling Mai’s (6C) Cantonese, Mandarin and Szechwan recipes fill the menu of this highly popular Chinese restaurant. The founder of this place passed on ten years ago, but Ling’s extended family continues to make and serve the best Chinese cuisine in the city. Links (3A) This popular nightclub offers a little of everything on five floors seven nights a week. The first floor is a disco, the second is a pub, the third floor is a sanitized rave club with live music on the weekends, the fourth floor is an urban cowboy bar complete with mechanical bull, and the top floor is fern bar with a complimentary piano man. Longshoremen Union Hall (3E) Local 281 of the American Longshoremen Union is housed in a purpose-built structure that sees considerable use for other functions besides union meetings. Political candidates speak here, while wedding receptions and teen dances are frequently held here as well. Lost Mariners’ Memorial (North Beach Park) (2F) This massive bronze figure desperately holds the wheel of a sailing ship against an imaginary storm while gazing out to sea, as if searching for the sailors who never made it home. A memorial wall behind the figure lists an appalling number of names and ships lost at sea dating back to the 1830’s. The Lunchbox (3B) This is a large pedestrian mall dotted with stone tables and benches, shade trees and small modern sculptures that are surrounded by franchises from nearly every fast food chain in Northeastern America, plus at least a dozen other independent pushcart vendors. This place is always busy during business hours on the weekdays, regardless of the weather or season. Main Post Office (3B) This structure houses the primary mail processing and sorting facility for the entire state of Delaware. As such, there is activity here at all hours of the day and night as trucks of mail are brought it, their contents sorted and placed aboard for the trips out to their final destination. Main Railyards (3D) Much of the cargo that is taken from or loaded onto the ships in the port is transferred to and from this facility. Despite the improved security systems set up in recent years, it is also a popular place for hoodlums to dump dead bodies. Marinas (4D, 4F, 5C & 5F) The marinas around Stoneshale Bay are owned by various private concerns. The Bayside Marina is owned by Riptide Excursions, though many of its docks are home to permanently parked houseboats that house retirees. The Finn Avenue Marina is home to Cavanaugh Boat Works – a firm that makes large pleasure craft for the affluent. The Sandy River Marina is a set of public docks that have lately become a refuge for the downtrodden that can afford to buy a floating wreck and pay a monthly mooring fee. The Sun Avenue Marina features a number of private fishing excursion firms for the more adventurous tourists. Medical Clinic (7E) This free public clinic has a rotating staff of volunteers from and is stocked by the city’s hospitals and operates non-stop around the clock. Those cases requiring more extensive care than can be provided here are usually sent to the nearby University Hospital for further treatment. Memorial Stadium (2D) This 55,000-seat open-air stadium is home to both the Bay City Beacons baseball team and the Delaware Destroyers football team. It also hosts concerts for nationally known artists on occasion. Millennium Fountain (Bayview Park) (5F) This seven-tier stone fountain performs hourly water ballets, but is most spectacular at night when its colored lights are in full effect. The shallow catch basin is a popular place for the less fortunate to cool off during the summer months. Mineral Bluffs Park (8C) City founder Caleb Hoyt wrote extensively in his journal about the wildlife that frequented these bluffs for the mineral and salt licks. The bluffs stand about 40’ (6” game scale) above the Sandy River at the south end of the park, and are dotted with large trees, including a thick grove along its crown. A hiking / nature trail loops along the bluff’s base and back across its top. Naval Air Station (Tangier Island) (5E) Established shortly after The Near Miss, this is a refueling and rearmament point for Navy planes patrolling the eastern seaboard, or transferring to or from carriers at sea. Navy reserve pilots also practice touch-and-go landings here. North Bank Parkway (2A) This jogging / bicycle trail runs over two miles along the northern bank of the Kelso River, passing by athletic fields, picnic areas, playgrounds and old stone monuments left by the area’s pre-historical inhabitants. North Beach Park (2F) Residents and tourists alike can be found here, enjoying a walk along the seashore while beach combing and feeding the gulls. Swimming here is not encouraged (though not forbidden) due to strong riptides that tend to carry the unwary into ship traffic. North Point Park (4F) This park offers the best views of Delaware Bay and the Kelley’s Point Lighthouse from the battlements of Old Fort Dawson. Northern Docks (3F) Smaller, independent cargo vessels dock here, leaving the main port open for the large container vessels of the main shipping companies. Nowhere Else Music (2B) The name really does say it all – Randy van Horn’s store stocks the most diverse collection of music most people have never heard of. If you need something different to listen to, try one of Randy’s grab bags of music, or ask him to order what you really want. Nursing Home (1E) This facility (Briarwood Nursing Home) cares for patients needing long-term recovery care, including those in vegetative states, as well as the elderly and infirmed. Old Fort Dawson (North Point Park) (4F) Built in 1850, this stone battlement is crowned with cannons that were intended to protect the bay from foreign invaders and pirates. Though the cannon have never fired a shot in anger, they are still used today for ceremonial occasions to fire salutes. Omega Broadcasting Building (5B) This modern ten-story office building houses the broadcast facilities, recording studios and business offices of the radio and television stations of the Omega Broadcasting Group. Omni*Mart Superstore (7B) This is the largest discount store and supermarket in the city, selling everything from oil changes to zucchini under one (very large) roof. Ones & Zeroes (1A) Byron Hawthorn is a transplanted Australian with perhaps the best computer sales, service and repair store in the city. For a fee, he can even bollocks together custom computer systems and keep his mouth shut about what he builds and for whom. Orb Corporate Building (4A) These twin cylindrical towers stand nearly 60 stories high (660’ or 100” game scale) and are the Regional Headquarters of Orb Corporation’s operations in the Northeastern United States. The regional manager is Ophelia Maxim, a soft-spoken cousin of Lars Maxim, the company’s CEO. Osborne Center (6B) This sprawling complex of department stores and specialty shops grew out of the merger of two adjacent malls in 1995. Since then, additions have connected the two, creating a maze of consumerism nearly three-quarters of a mile long. Otakushima (7C) If you’re into anime, manga, martial arts movies, Asian soft porn videos or magazines, Japanese toys or the latest snack foods from Tokyo, this is your store. Kasumi Tamagari (real name Jennifer Lee) dresses in traditional garb and welcomes every customer with smile. Outlet Mall (6F) If you’re looking for the latest foreign knock-offs of famous brand name clothing and shoes, or if you don’t mind wearing a slightly defective piece of the real thing, this oversized flea market is just for you. Cheap is what they sell here, often straight off the ships, but if you have a taste for style on a limited budget, shop here. Page Turner’s Bookstore (3B) This store is dedicated to serious bibliophiles who collect first editions, original manuscripts, foreign texts and books on eclectic subjects. The owner has little time or patience for those who do exhibit some knowledge of literature’s classics, especially the “upper class morons” who are buying the books to enhance their own egos. Performing Arts Center (4B) Ballets, operas and large production theatricals are performed here year-round, along with the odd popular performer concert. The facility seats about ten thousand and tickets rarely sell for less than $50. Police Headquarters (4B) This twelve-story brick fortress was built during the Great Depression as a WPA project. As such, the exterior walls are nearly a meter thick and the entire building has been excessively reinforced throughout. Inside are the offices, holding cells, interrogation rooms, forensics labs, evidence lockers and armories needed for law enforcers to do their jobs effectively. Port Authority Building (4D) About the only place the Bay City Police don’t have jurisdiction is the Port of Bay City. The Port Authority is the force authorized by the US Government to conduct customs and vessel inspections, enforce federal and international laws and act as a paramilitary force when necessary to prevent acts of terrorism. However, the small staff here has an excellent working relationship with all law enforcement agencies in Bay City, typically deferring the “heavy lifting” to them. Port of Bay City (4D) This is primarily a container ship port, though some bulk transport ships (usually carrying refined petroleum products) do offload at the east end of the port. Of note, a large area off the west end of the docks is where empty shipping containers from overseas are stacked up, waiting to be refilled for their next trip, though some of these have been sitting here for nearly a decade. Private Docks (Chinatown) (5D) These docks are reserved for pleasure yachts, excursion boats, tugs and tramp freighters, along with various small boats that engage in smuggling operations. In general, anyone who can’t fend for himself shouldn’t hang around here after dark. Produce Market (6B) Fresh fruits, vegetables and other farm products both from downstate and overseas are sold here every day, making it a popular destination for both residents and tourists. Restaurants and local grocers get exclusive access in the early morning, then it’s open season for the shoppers. Red Light District (6D) Bay City’s den of vice and sin has long been a thorn in the side of local politicians and law enforcement. Sweeps to clean up the blatant prostitution and drug dealing are conducted with some regularity, but adult theaters and bookstores, fetish shops, strip bars and “gentlemen’s clubs,” along with a host of pawnshops, payday loan businesses, bars, convenience stores and the like put a fresh crop of prostitutes and dealers back on the streets almost as soon as the sweeps are over. Rialto’s Restaurant (3B) Fans of French and Italian gourmet food who are on a budget can get their culinary fix at reasonable price in this establishment. However, reservations are required as seating is strictly limited to keep the ambience right. Don’t expect much of a selection, either, as the menu is typically limited to three items each night, but at an average of $20 per person, including the tip, this is one of the best deals in town for high class eating. Riptide Excursions (4D) Strictly a tourist business, this outfit runs several informational sightseeing tours of Stoneshale Bay each day for around $10 per person. The most popular of these is the twilight cruise that includes a romantic dinner by electric candlelight in Delaware Bay. Riverbend Park (6C) This strip of green is the most popular park in the summer months as it has the best swimming beach in the city. The city also rents out canoes and kayaks here for the slightly more adventurous types. Rustbelt (5A) These decaying shells of factories are all that remains of the legacy of Bay City’s Industrial Age at the beginning of the 20th Century. The area still sees use despite the dangers of industrial waste and dilapidated structures for rave parties, clandestine meeting places for criminal activity and as hideouts for supervillains. Sacred Dragon Martial Arts School (6D) Although schools for karate and tae kwon do abound in the Bay City area, this is the only one specializing kung fu. Master Xai Bei Shun has been teaching crane, dragon, monkey and tiger styles of this martial art for nearly 30 years. Sacred Stone Park (8E) This park has a unique historical legacy – a small boulder carved with faint pictograms that is obviously a grave marker of sorts. Many scientists say that this, and the stone monuments in North Bank Park, are proof that European tribes crossed the Atlantic toward the end of the last Ice Age, though no one can say why time has preserved them so well. Saul’s Completely Kosher Deli (2C) You’d have trouble finding a place in Bay City that is more blatantly Jewish than this homespun delicatessen. Saul Rosenthal is pushing 80 and still supervises the work of his four children as they make Bay City’s best sandwiches and ethnic foods – just don’t expect the place to be open on Fridays (the Jewish Sabbath). Scotty’s Bar (7E) This drinking establishment gets its motif from a popular science fiction television show mixed with the supposed cultural heritage of one of its characters. The result is a futuristic pub serving oddly colored drinks, including a nameless homemade concoction of lemon-lime Kool-Aid and grain alcohol. (It is green...) Scrapyard (6A) This defunct metal recycling business is one of the city’s biggest eyesores. Piles of rusting scrap metal mingle with acres of junk vehicles await the outcome of a decade-long legal fight between the city and the former owners over who is going to pay to clean up the site. Shady Oaks Cemetery (8E) This is the largest burial ground in the city, with headstones dating back into the 1800’s. Although it has been renovated and expanded in the past few years, there is still a Gothic sort of creepiness that lingers over the place. Shamrock Casino (5D) Legalized gambling is still relatively new in Delaware, but this casino and hotel complex is seeing huge profits every quarter, which is enough to inspire mundane and metahuman criminals alike to armed robbery attempts. Typically, there are about four a year, but the casino security staff includes a number of metahumans and police veterans, so none of these (so far) has been successful. Shanghai Strip (5E) This waterfront property is populated with seedy bars, tattoo and piercing parlors, disreputable open-air food stalls, “social clubs” (i.e. brothels and drug dens) and other sorts of lowbrow diversions for the rough-and-tumble crews of the ships visiting Bay City. Shrine of the Four Winds (6E) This traditional Buddhist shrine is a popular tourist attraction as well as a traditional stop for slightly superstitious ship captains and crewmen who are departing the bay for the open sea. Simbio Building (4A) The Simbio Corporation produces many advanced pharmaceuticals and other medical items of commercial worth. This forty-story building is built to resemble the helix of a strand of DNA and houses production facilities, offices and laboratories dedicated to finding the next big niche market for the corporation to exploit. Sliders & Grinders (8B) This mom and pop fast food restaurant features a mix of popular American and Italian dishes, including sliders (hamburgers), grinders (hero sandwiches), spaghetti and ravioli by the quart, fried lasagna, grilled Coney dogs, chili-cheese tater fries and funnel cakes a la mode. Southern Docks (7F) Like the Northern Docks, these are intended for smaller, independent cargo vessels, leaving the main port open for the larger vessels of the main shipping companies. The Bay City Ferry Company also operates off of these docks, making several trips each day to Cape May, New Jersey, carrying vehicles and passengers. Stanley Park & Arboretum (1C) This park and botany preserve is particularly popular in the spring and fall months. In the spring, its manicured flowerbeds burst into bloom; while in the fall, the many trees show off their colors in the final blaze before going dormant for the winter. Stars & Stripes Diner (5B) Comfort food is what this establishment is all about, serving generous portions of classic American dishes with bottomless cups of coffee. Don’t forget to have a slice of their All-American Apple Pie. Striker Stadium (7C) This open-air football stadium with all-weather running track holds about 18,000 fans and is home to the Bay City University’s outdoor sports teams, as well as many of the city’s larger high school teams. Supermax Prison (Bloc Island) (4E) With the upsurge in metahuman crime, the federal government has built a number of facilities designed to hold these criminals. While they are not perfect, they do have fewer metahuman escapes than traditional prisons. The Bloc Island Metahuman Unit (BIMU) was heavily damaged in 2005 when metahumans from Rogue Legion staged a successful jailbreak to release Powerhouse from custody. Symphony Hall (4B) This stately old concert hall seats nearly 10,000 and is home to various forms of highbrow musical entertainment, including the Bay City Symphony and the Delaware Opera Company. Talby Asylum (8D) While it is only a small part of this psychological hospital facility, the prison wing for the criminally insane does garner the most attention. Ashtray Art and Anagram are among its most famous residents, though there are far more mundane (though no less dangerous) inmates that inhabit the facility as well. Tangier Island (5E) Home to both a Naval Air Station and a Coast Guard Rescue Station, much of this island has been paved over to accommodate the single runway, numerous helicopter pads and the hangars and repair facilities needed to support air operations. Temple Israel (2E) The largest Jewish place of worship in the city is also one of its more distinctive landmarks. Like its architecture, the impressive gold leaf and granite dome that caps this structure dates back to the 1920’s. Terminal Building (Bay City Int’l Airport) (5C) The main passenger terminal to the airport was constructed in the 1960’s and is really starting to show its age. The Bay City government is in the process of renovating the facility, though there has been a push to close this airport and construct a new one on the western outskirts. Transit Center (5B) The Bay City Transit Center is the hub for bus traffic in and around the city, as well as being the terminal for national bus lines. This facility is relatively new and includes restaurant and bathing facilities for travelers, though many of the city’s homeless use them as well. Twin Cedars Shopping Center (1C) While not as large as Osborne Center, this five-story mega-mall features upscale clothing, shoe, cosmetics and jewelry stores; along with a combination miniature amusement and water park for the kids. University Hospital (7C) This facility is more famous for its burn and terminal illness units than being an educational facility for medical students, however, that is its primary function. The hospital also treats wards of the state (i.e. people on welfare and orphans) free of charge. The Vault (1B) After a disastrous prison break from the Bloc Island Supermax Prison ten years ago that left several workers dead, it was decided to no longer store the equipment of supervillains on the site. The Vault is a subterranean ultra-high security storage facility administered by the federal government and is designed to prevent anything short of a weapon of mass destruction from making an unauthorized entry into the facility. Veterans Arena (2D) Built shortly after World War II, this indoor stadium plays host to arena football, basketball and hockey games at both the professional and collegiate levels as well as the occasional special event such as boxing and popular music concerts. This facility seats about 18,000 for sporting events and around 12,000 for concerts. Veterans Hospital (7B) This aging facility was on the verge of being closed just a few years ago, but the recent upsurge in US military activity has brought new purpose to this place. The hospital now operates at nearly capacity, providing outpatient, short and continuing care to military veterans of all branches of service. Vulcan Metals (3F) Built nearly a hundred years ago to supply railroad rails and spikes for the rail industry, this foundry now churns out a variety of refined metals and alloys for all sorts of industrial uses, employing the latest technology to keep energy costs down and emissions to a minimum. Warehouse District (3D) Storage facilities and road freight terminals abound in this area, along with a slew of vehicle repair and customization shops, import/export firms, repackaging facilities and a number of industrial subcontracting shops. Unfortunately, there are also a number of vehicle chop shops, pawnshops and small scrap processing firms in the area – leading to a lot of property crime. Water Works (8C) Nearly all of the drinking water for the Bay City area is drawn from the Sandy River and processed here. In light of current terrorist activity, security here should be tighter, but there haven’t been the resources available to adequately protect this facility. Yacht Club (1F) Technically, membership here is open to anyone who can afford the fees (which top $100,000 a year), but it seems only affluent white males are interested in racing large sailboats. Still, the club’s restaurant is open to the public every night and serves the best seafood in town, provided you can get a table.

Re: [Campaign Log] The New Bay City Rollers BAY CITY VITAL STATISTICS PHYSICAL INFORMATION Size: Approximately 48 square miles – 8 miles north to south and six miles east to west. Altitude: Average is 28 feet above mean sea level. Highest point inside city limits is Sacred Stone Park at 161’ elevation. Lowest point is North Beach Park at 0’. Climate: Temperate with an annual precipitation total of 38.65” and seasonal snowfall average of 24”. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Bus: Metronova Area Bus Service (MABS) costs $1.00 for standard lines (includes one transfer), $2.00 for express lines (no transfers). Taxi: $2.00 for the first mile, then $0.25 per fifth-mile after that; additional fees may apply. Typical Parking Fee: $1 to $3 per hour. Typical Parking Fines: $10 per violation. CENSUS INFORMATION Total Population (2005): 805,385 residents. Racial Background: European: 55% African: 20% Hispanic: 10% Asian: 10% Other: 5% SPORTS Arena Football League: Bay City Bombers (Nat’l Conference, Eastern Division) Major League Baseball: Bay City Beacons (National League East Division) National Basketball Association: Bay City Bounce (Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division) National Collegiate Athletic Association: Bay City University Strikers (MEAC) National Football League: Delaware Destroyers (NFC East) National Hockey League: Bay City Blades (Eastern Conf., Southeast Division) CITY GOVERNMENT Mayor: The Honorable Jonathan Hobbs (Democrat) City Manager: Barbara Brandenburg Police Chief: Chief Larry McBride Fire Chief: Chief Benito Ramirez District Attorney: Calvin Packard

Re: [Campaign Log] The New Bay City Rollers BAY CITY ROLLERS CAMPAIGN GROUND RULES General Description: The player characters are superheroes fighting to protect Bay City, Delaware from the forces of evil. On top of the challenges of protecting life and property of the city, the characters also have to maintain a secret identity while trying to deal with the rigors of a private life as well. Importance of the PC’s: The player characters are superheroes in a world where about one in 100,000 humans have either been born with or have developed super powers. Out of all of the metahumans on the planet, only about 5% (1 in 20) actually are costumed superheroes. The rest are (usually) supervillains. While the characters have the power to literally save the world from a crisis, they have little power (and in most cases, desire) to make lasting changes to the world at large, other than to inspire others to make their own lives better. Campaign Tone: Morality: Good vs. Bad is mostly clear-cut though there may be the occasional sympathetic villain. Realism: Romantic Outlook: Almost everything works out in the end. Seriousness: More serious than light-hearted, but there is still room for a laugh now and then. Continuity: Mostly serial with some enforcement of campaign continuity. Physical World Description: The game universe is much like our own except that metahumans (in various incarnations) have existed since the beginning of human culture. Costumed superheroes like the PC’s have been around since the 1920’s, though the power level of metahumans has steadily increased over the years. Bay City is a fictional city in Delaware, just east of Dover. Many other place names around the United States have been changed to more appropriate ones for this genre. Character Building Guidelines 1) Fourth Edition Rules will be used and Hero Creator software to verify point balance. 2) Player characters are built with 200 base points and up to 150 disadvantage points for a total build of 350 points. No more than 50 disadvantage points can come from a single category. 3) Characters must pay for all equipment, weapons, bases and vehicles used in their heroic persona with points. No exceptions. 4) Characters may take the Characteristics Maxima Disadvantage for points. Character Abilities Ranges Power Levels Beginning Range Maximum Ability Attack Powers 50-65 AP’s 80 AP’s Defense Powers 20-30 DEF 40 DEF Skill Rolls No Restrictions No Restrictions Combat Values 8-12 CV 15 CV Speed Value 5-8 SPD 10 SPD Campaign Rules 5) Combat will not use the hit locations chart. 6) Knockback rules will be used. 7) Long-term endurance rules will not be used. 8) Limited push rules will not be used. Character Requirements 9) Other skills, talents and powers have no restrictions. 10) If the character has one or more hunted disadvantages, the player must select appropriate ones from the Gallery of Rogues. All hunters appear on 8-, no exceptions. House Rules 11) Mastermind Rule: If the GM invokes this rule, then all of the main villain’s goons and supers must be defeated before the characters can go after the leader. This is done so final battles against these foes, that otherwise wouldn’t stand a chance against typical metahumans, are more climatic to preserve the feel of the genre. 12) Pushing House Rule: Even though pushes are unlimited, the player must announce how much his character is pushing and pay the END cost for the push before making an EGO roll for the push. No push may exceed the Max Ability Limit for the game (80 AP’s). 13) Ringed Out Rule: If a character is knocked out and is more than twice his REC below zero in STUN, that character is out of the combat, regardless of how long that battle continues. 14) Plot Device NPC’s: Some NPC’s will seem to have powers that exceed the guidelines listed for characters. In such cases, the character is a plot device designed to keep an adventure moving along, and the NPC will play no significant role in concluding the adventure. 15) 10 XP Rule: Players may only make changes to their characters when they have 10 or more experience points saved up. This is a convenience issue for me (since I don’t have to reprint character sheets every session) and it forces players to seriously consider how their XP will be spent as well as roleplay how their characters get these improvements. Rogues Gallery for Starting Characters (All have Appearance on an 8- or less) Anagram [More Pow, Mild (Humiliation)] – 10 points This villainess mastermind is dedicated to proving her superiority through mental games that force the heroes to match wits with her. Alphabet Gang members are her accomplices. Blackout [As Pow] – 10 points This hacker has built a battlesuit that gives him control over electrical devices and computers. He is more of a thief than a combatant, but can still carry a grudge. Black Paladin [More Pow] – 15 points Resurrected by the magic of DEMON mystics, this medieval warrior is now armed with magic armor, weapons and rides a flying steed named Pitchmane. Black Widow [More Pow] – 15 points She is a metahuman assassin with spider-themed powers, including a poisonous sting. If you’ve crossed her, she’s out for your blood. Buzzsaw [More Pow] – 15 points He obtained powers of hypersonic vibration after an Orb Corporation project blew up in his face. Now he’s out for revenge and will destroy anything or anyone who gets in his way. Cesspool [As Pow] – 10 points This villain emanates a toxic stench that prevents him from living a normal life. With a home-built environment suit to concentrate that stench, he now operates as a villain-for-hire. Clarion [As Pow] – 10 points This vigilante brick with a killer scream has murdered dozens of proven and suspected drug dealers over the years, and she has said she’s not going back to prison without a fight. Dark Seraph [More Pow] – 15 points A man who has been warped into a creature of pure evil by the magics of DEMON, this supervillain serves both his vile master and the organization. DEMON [More Pow, NCI] – 20 points This circle of wizards, witches and sorcerers employ the arts arcane to hatch twisted schemes to acquire power and wealth for themselves while spreading terror and death among the mundane. Dragonfist [As Pow, NCI] – 15 points He’s a mercenary metahuman martial artist for various criminal concerns. His underworld connections make him dangerous to those who cross him. Foxbat [AP, Mild (Humiliate/Annoy), NCI] – 10 points This criminally insane prankster loves to “vanquish” superheroes, though he is yet to actually seriously injure one. Most of the times he’s a loon, but a well equipped one with nothing but time on his hands. Frizbee [As Pow] – 10 points This gadgeteer supervillain employs an arsenal of trick flying discs and a flying platform to accomplish his twisted goals. GRAB [As Pow, NCI] – 15 points This alliance of low-powered supervillains are mostly interested theft and robbery, but if a hero injures or kills one of their membership, the group will not stop until they put the hero down. Isotope [More Pow] – 15 points The Radioactive Man is one of the most dangerous supervillains on the planet – not because he has great resources and an agenda, but because has great power and is completely unpredictable. Komodo [More Pow] – 15 points This mutated reptilian monster was a man once, but no longer. Now the creature’s only goals seem to be destruction, murder and revenge. Lady Blue [As Pow] – 10 points A beautiful superheroic Robin Hood in blue and white spandex, this supervillain is probably the most popular of the breed since much of her ill-gotten gains wind up in the hands of the downtrodden. Mayhem [More Pow] – 15 points This psychotic supervillain’s mind was warped by his transformation into one of the strongest mortals on the planet. After countless defeats, he has vowed to kill every hero on the planet. Nightowl [More Pow] – 15 points After tasting defeat at the hands of Bay City superheroes, this gadgeteer has forged a new flying battlesuit and has vowed revenge on all of Bay City for his previous humiliation. Powerhouse [As Pow] – 10 points Quite possibly the most annoying supervillain brick on the planet, this violence maniac subjected himself to a bootleg version of the Omega Process with the dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Raging Bill [More Pow] – 15 points William “Raging Bill” Baker is an alcoholic metahuman brick from the Deep South with a deep-seated distrust and hatred of authority figures – especially superheroes. Rogue Legion [More Pow, NCI] – 20 points This worldwide super criminal organization has a paramilitary bend and one of the most powerful supervillains (Colonel Fang) at the helm. Spellbound [More Pow] – 15 points This mystical supervillainess was cast into limbo and escaped by merging with a demon. Now she commands unearthly powers of magic and an insatiable lust for power. Starwell [As Pow] – 10 points A metahuman anarchist who moonlights as a member of GRAB, she overtly supports various radical fringe groups opposed to various government concerns. Thunderbolt [As Pow] – 10 points The seduction of power warped this once respected scientist’s mind after a bolt of lightning struck him and gave him super powers. Now he is a loose cannon – cruel, petty and utterly ruthless.

Hello everyone, While we don't play on S--A--D-U-R--D-A-Y---NIGHT! It is a standard Champions campaign (using 4th Edition rules) that will go as long as the players and GM can meet on Wednesday evenings. Although there are going to be three players in this one, only two characters are ready to go as of Tuesday night -- CHROME, a high-tech battlesuited warrior for justice; and Shadow Fox, a metahuman martial artist. We'll see how far this one gets. For those of you unfamiliar to Bay City, Delaware, there is a wealth of information forthcoming. For those of you with MS Word, the documents are posted here -- for the rest, I'll be transcribing it. I would upload the new map, but it is more than a Meg in size, so it will not upload -- I will break it into sections to get it into the system (later). Matt "The-busy-GM" Frisbee

Re: Serenity RPG A fun variation for you Traveller types would be to set the Serenity-esque campaign in the Solomani Rim a few years after the Rim War between the Imperium and the Solomani Sphere (say around 1007, perhaps). The characters are former Solomani citizens who fought for the Sphere and are now adjusting to life on the Imperial side of the border where there are few jobs and even less opportunity on worlds with economies shattered by years of devastating interstellar warfare. Thus, the Imperials are the bad guys and the characters are scraping along trying to find some way to make a living among the stars. Matt "Yeah-it-was-a-very-fun-take-on-an-old-standby" Frisbee

Re: Prison facilities for super-human criminals in your Campaigns? Facilities in the Frisbee-verse: The Hole This underground vault in western Maryland is designed to hold the most dangerous (not necessarily the most powerful) supervillain on earth -- Isotope, The Radioactive Man. It has failed on three seperate occasions to do that but is still the only facility in the world capable of holding him for any length of time. Stronghold SuperMax Prison Located inside of Jackass Mesa in Nevada. It is the standard Stronghold as presented in Classic Enemies. Lakehold SuperMax Prison Platform Similar to Stronghold, this facility is mounted on a deep water platform 15 miles east of Lakeport (Milwaukee), Wisconsin. Bloc Island SuperMax Prison A larger Stronghold-type facility on an island in the bay near the current campaign city (Bay City, Delaware). Instead of isolating the prisoners, however, the prisoners are fitted with neurostimulation collars that cause increasing levels of paralysis and debilitating pain to punish not only those who break the rules, but anyone who happens to be around them at the time. This forces prisoners to police themselves and the other inmates to stop disruptive behaviors. (The ACLU has raised a number lawsuits claiming this is inhumane punishment, many of which are still working their ways through the courts, though no judge is insane enough to order the collars removed or disabled.) Matt "Bundle-of-joy" Frisbee

Re: STRONGHOLD -- What Do You Want To See? You probably have it covered, but: 1) Multiple scenario seeds / adventures using Stronghold as a focus. 2) A possible reform / assistance scenario from a villain (a la 48 Hours). 3) Suggestions on how to get those pesky DNPC's involved so it is more than just a combat adventure. 4) "A Day In Stronghold" Adventure where the PC's are asked to stand in for the corrections workers there because of a strike or illness. 5) A "Turnabout" Adventure where the PC's have been captured by a villain / organization and placed in a very similar facility. 6) A look at special holding facilities constructed to hold a single supervillain because of the danger he/she/it poses to us all. 7) A quick look at capital punishment in relation to metahuman crime would also be nice (though not pleasant). 8) Artwork that is worthy of a classic setting / adventure seed such as this. 9) I know what you said, but updated villains for this setting (Ripper, for example) would be welcome. 10) If you're not going to put a Lady Blue centerfold in this one, can you at least put one up as a wallpaper offered through the on-line store? Matt "Old-school-drooling-fanboy" Frisbee

Re: [PA Hero] Limited Nuclear War Not So Good Interesting article, though it isn't serious game fodder unless your catastrophe is going to be horribly realistic where the world falls apart slowly over several years or the characters are going to be a generation or more removed from the collapse. Matt "Nuke-'em-'till-they-glow" Frisbee

Re: What if: Japan won World War 2? Um, no. Would the United States have shared nuclear technology with the Soviet Union and England just to spread it around so that if the Nazis or Japanese managed to start coordinated bombing raids against the USA that some friendly power would have it? I think not. The rest of it was a fun read, however. Still, there is a way for Japan to win the war -- by not fighting it. Suppose the attack on Pearl Harbor has exactly the effect that the Japanese military wanted: a crippled Pacific fleet with the Atlantic fleet under duress by German wolfpacks that are sinking lend-lease ships faster than they can be built (especially if German submarines coordinate the attacks with the Japanese to cripple shipbuilding facilities on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts). This forces the Americans to sue for a peace with both the Germans and Japanese while rebuilding their navy and military forces. Result: England falls, the Soviet front becomes a nightmarish bloodbath that Comrade Stalin enventually loses and America (threatened on two fronts, Canada and Mexico, and two seas, Atlantic and Pacific) is forced to cede land to the victorious Japanese Empire who claims to be protecting Japanese citizens from foreign (i.e. American) influences (mirroring what Hitler did to take Austria without a shot). Good luck with the brainstorming! Matt "Superheroic-goodness" Frisbee

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Setting: A home-brewed version of Theives' World -- and the home city is being invaded by demonic ratlings under the control of a colony of wererats. My character (Rakir) has just managed to drown one of the underlings, but has taken a token from the victim that transforms him into a wererat as well! Zolen is the party mage and is just catching up to the action... GM: Zolen turns the corner and sees a big hairy thing with a long nose wearing Rakir's armor! Zolen (OoC): Oh great, the party's fighter is now a wererat! Rakir (OoC): Wererat? **Stands and menaces Zolen's player with a snarl while assuming a Hispanic accent.** I ain't no stinkin' wererat! I'M A WERE-CAPYBARA!! GM: *Sighs while shaking head!* Okay, a rat by any other name... Matt "Dirty-rat" Frisbee

Re: Yet Another PA Campaign Idea

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... From the past weekend's Firefly-esque Traveller game -- turns out the food packs our heroes bought at a bargain are a little past their freshness dates... Shep: Hey! Who locked the head? Nero: It's locked? That means my software patch on the security program worked! Shep (to Nero): I don't care how well you fixed the security program! Just get it to unlock the gorram head before I soil myself! **Rav fires a shotgun blast into the lock mechanism causing Shep to blow his Constitution roll.** Rav (opening the door): There you go. Problem solved. Shep: Actually, the problem solved itself when you fired that damn thing. (Turns to Nero) At least tell me the shower works? Matt "Yeah-we-went-there" Frisbee

Re: Fifteen points of wealth is very justifiable

Re: Help with Character Acroynym Battle Ready Unit for Tactical Engagements How about that? Matt "Spur-of-the-moment" Frisbee

Re: Suggestion Box: name our Teen Champions team My suggestion -- Super League Against Mayhem -- add a little flash to the name and it becomes: S.L.A.M.Dancers (I have to admit, though, I think "Infiniteens" is pretty cool.) Matt "Recovering-New-Warriors-Fan" Frisbee

Re: Fifteen points of wealth is very justifiable They're getting the convenience of not having a serious job and the ability to actively pursue their passions (caped or otherwise). They get the right to rub elbows with the movers and shakers of the world since they have enough money to buy into the system. Essentially, that 15 points opens doors for them that are closed to most of the rest of the world -- a billionaire can get an appointment to see the President while you and I wouldn't have a ghost of chance. If they want any useful gadgets or things, they pay points for them in my campaign. Typically, they buy a VPP gadget pool (limited to real world gadgets) which they can change up periodically to reflect their changing tastes. Wealth is not carte blanche (?) to abuse the rules -- it is a perk that gives the character certain advantages, and that's all. A smart GM knows how to impose limits and makes sure to ask a player what he intends to do with perk before authorizing the character. Most of my games have the stipulation that wealth can only be purchased with experience points -- that way, the character can roleplay the climb up the corporate ladder (or whatever means he obtains wealth) and the see the results (and pay the personal price) of becoming a "self-made billionaire." I usually dodged the whole wealth issue with my characters by purchasing five points of wealth with ten character points and stipulating that it is an annual lottery payout, so I don't actually have to work for a living, if I don't want to. The characters weren't rich, but their lives were their own (allowing for Out of Hero ID adventuring as well). Matt "Kinda-pragmatic" Frisbee

Re: Locations to cover the United States... I would think that you'd be looking for a coverage map. Say take a map of the continental USA and make eight circular templates about 400 scale miles in radius and plop them around the map until you have nearly complete coverage -- that way your character can be anywhere in the USA within about an hour. Or else you could go the Megascale route with your teleportation with 400 mile hexes, teleporting yourself and the hovercraft to the general area and then flying home when the mission is done... Hope it works out for you, Matt "Just-had-an-idea" Frisbee

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Enforcer84: Red Baroness? I have an image of a red leather clad, glasses wearing, raven tressed super terrorist.... I like that. ghost-angel: Obviously she works for VIPER. Yeah, all the hot babes in fetish gear work for VIPER -- that's why they never run out of recruits... Matt "Sign-me-up" Frisbee

Re: Traveller Hero Adventures... Generally, I run Classic Traveller campaigns in the early 1100's, but my current campaign involves the aftermath of the Solomani Rim War (1007) on the Imperial side of the Sol Sector. The whole thing is meant to be Firefly-esque, making the Imperials the bad guys this time around. It's been a hoot so far and badly needed change of pace for my campaigns. The longest running campaign I've had involved an attempt to undo the assassination of Emperor Strephon via a shot at time travel (which was highly unreliable and dangerous and a one-shot, all-or-nothing one-way-trip experience). They did undo the assassination, but had to allow a hero of the Fifth Frontier War to die, prolonging that conflict for an additional two years and costing a quarter-million extra dead... Yeah, I'm not a nice GM. Matt "But-they-always-keep-coming-back-for-more" Frisbee

Re: Nexus universe Is this the Nexus based on the "Infinite City" RPG or is this something else? Matt "Used-to-own-it-but-never-played-it" Frisbee

Re: Shoot 'em Up Okay, that description just shot this title to the top of my "Videos To Get" list with a bullet! (no pun intended -- but it was pretty good, right?) Sorry, I was just casing (*snirk*) the joint... Matt "Puns-of-a-different-caliber" Frisbee

Re: New NBC Show--Life Yeah, I remember seeing a blurb for this one on YouTube (I think). I was going to give the premiere a look just because I enjoyed Damien Lewis' work on Band of Brothers (but then, that series was truly awesome). Your lead-up makes me wonder if the series will be episodic or serial in nature -- or like Babylon 5, somewhere in between. Matt "It-could-be-an-interesting-fall" Frisbee