Actually it is slightly based off a very old game called NetRunner. I am talking BBS Door game old. Never read Shadowrun but the CyberPunk ideas are all pretty basic.
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A Few Limitations
When you create a game where people are going to play various shades of Evil you had better think about restrictions. As much as I wish to let the Players do whatever they find enjoyable there will be a few limits.
Right now there are 2. Characters under 18 years of age are basically out of bounds. They cannot be directly killed or otherwise injured. Second no descriptions or even implications of Rape will be allowed.
Because children are a natural part of the world there will be times when they will be hurt in the natural course of events. If a City is leveled then kids are going to die too.
But here is an example of what can and cannot happen.
Example 1:
Your evil sadistic monster of a Meta is roaming the streets. Everywhere people are running. You look up and see a yellow school bus full of pre-teens. Their screaming annoys you so you blast the bus. It explodes in a huge fireball.
... End Example.
No. Not going to happen. Ever.
Example 2:
The same Character and you are Rampaging. You blast cars, you blast people, the world is in flames around you and you are happy.
A GM does a bit of Narration to support your efforts and he says.... and one of the vehicles now burning was a school bus returning a bunch of pre-teens to their homes.
... End Example.
That might happen. The important point here is that the Player did not intentionally kill a bunch of kids.
Now let me be clear that if what people want to do is "Saw"-like horror porn to other Players, fine. Maybe today the Villains have to be that evil for others to care. Hell maybe the prospective Heros of this Game want people to be that black so they can kill without guilt.
But whatever Content Rules exist will be enforced. And unlike normal problems even those that would be called 'Cheating', violation of these Rules will make me mad. If you are looking for a quick way out of the Game this will do it for ya. I promise.
The Next Generation
There is an aspect to this Game that I am unsure of what to do with. You see it means one thing to Humanity if a bunch of Metas are created but then eventualy die out. Even if they live a couple of hundred years. But if the Meta abilities are passed onto their children then Life has indeed changed forever.
Meta abilites do pass on. Children usually get a form of their parent's powers.
There are two problems though. The first is Pace. The Game will move a Day a real life week. So if we play for a solid year that will be 52 days not even 2 months. So under normal circumstances the Metas would not know that the powers will pass on during the run of the Game. They could assume, and many will, but that is just not the same thing.
But unless something changes there is no way Meta babies could be a part of the story...
Unless.
There are ways. I can think of a number of different mechanisms where children could be born within the timespan of the Game. I can also think of ways where they could also age faster and reach 18. Granted all this would require I bend our Game Reality a little farther than I had intended but so what of that?
If for example I create a unique NPC who can open a Portal to another Dimension. One where time flows differently it all become easy. And that is just the first one possibility.
But what it really comes down to is a simple question.
Anybody interested in playing a pregnant MetaHuman?
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(-)Last edited by Alexander Tau; 06-27-2009, 06:34 PM.Comment
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Concept: #6
Working Title: The Magic
Even thought I am deep into MetaWars! now this idea will not go away. So I am going to write it down here and perhaps return to it at some point. This is really intended as a traditional PbP Game not some big PbPC monster. The idea lacks any names, real structure, or much of any detail right now. But there is the germ of a few things here that I really like.
The Setting
Modern day. On the surface the World would seem to be exactly the same as our own. In the shadows there would be a few secrets.
Magic exists.
Not old-school Magic but something more unique. Users of this Magic spend a lot of effort absorbing and building energies so they can be ready to act. Every Character would be a Magic-User but they would be able to specialize if they wished.
A couple hundred years ago someone discovered a way to channel a unique energy. From that the art of Magic was born. But along the way mistakes were made and doors not intended to be open were indeed opened. In time the little mistakes built up to the point where something had to be done.
The School of Magic.
Each year a small number of College age students with the proper aptitudes are selected. Some are from Families that have ties to the Magic world but most are not. Those that cannot handle the revelations about Magic, or who choose not to accept the Invitation have their memories erased.
This is not a Harry Potter rip-off. The School has a very small student body and they are all training for one specific purpose: To defend against things that ought not to exist. Magic is controlled by a very small group of people and there is little in the way of 'Magic Society'. Since any competent user of Magic can indeed do almost anything it has lead them to all wish one simple thing: to live well. And they have for a very long time. If it were not for the monsters that exist or sometimes show up Magic would mean almost nothing to affairs of the Human Race.
The System of Magic
Magic does not go all that far back so it does not connect to the traditional sources. The School itself was founded in 1802. There would be a sense of 'days gone by' at the School but it incorporates modern aspects as well. The hidden School would of course be huge and amazing.
Magic runs off of perhaps as many as a dozen different types of Energy.
In 1722 the first successful Mystic Manipulaton was accomplished. Little did they know they would set in motion a chain of events that continues to the present day. There is no solid explaination of how the First Ones learned to store and control Heat. But that first experiment rapidly lead to the discovery of ways to control the next three types: Light, Kinetic & Sonic.
The techniques for transorming one into the other were probably responsible for the discovery of E5. Gravity is best understood when you practice transforming the lower types. The 6th form of energy, Psychic, forms the basic of many comminication and information-gathering techniques. There are more but they are not discussed in public.
E1 is Heat
E2 is Light
E3 is Kinetic
E4 is Sonic
E5 is Gravity
E6 is Psychic
E7 is LifeForce
E8 is Cosmic
E9 is Electric
This is more mechanical than RP but each PC would be able to store any amount of any Energy they had mastered. Perhaps there would be complications in how, when, or where, different Energy types could be collected. But there would always be something that could be absorbed. Having enough of the right kinds of Energy to power what you want to do will be important.
I would like to find a very good word to replace 'Spell' but I have no idea what that might be yet. But the 'spells' would cover the whole range of possibilities. Magic can affect anything in almost anyway if done correctly. The possibility for having some set of 'building blocks' to allow for new 'spell' creation would fit pretty well too.
Just by way of simple explaintion here is a sample 'spell':
Fly: To fly you must expend 1 point of E5 (gravity) per minute to get and remain aloft. There are no altitude restrictions. Speed is accomplished by using E3 (kinetic) and that must be spent each second to maintain accelleration.
...End Example
While people could specialize to gain skills in some areas everybody would have the same set of abilities available. And it would be a big list. If you let people charge things on a constant basis you have to prepare for some huge pools of power. The Game would have massive challenges to compensate.
The Threats
Take a mix of the myths and legends of the 1800s & 1900s and mix in some very, very different things. Creatures beyond human description in any but the grossest (and that will apply quite often) of manners. People who have been hording Energies for a long time are likely.
Yeah there are 8 of you and you have been pulling in everything for a whole lot of days. All of you have more raw power at your fingertips than you have ever had before. Then you run into someone who has been doing the same for the last 10 years. Might be interesting.
Combat in this Game would require some thought to make work. When every Character can do so much to affect the World around them things can get a bit tricky to judge. But what I am really thinking is rather than the slam bang fast kill sort of combat there would be more of a Magical Slugging match.
Defense would dominate in this style. No matter how big the monster you run into you could always live through it's first attack. At least if you were ready for it. Then you have to stay alive long enough to find a way to hurt the critter. Rarely will just blasting/pounding on something big do the trick. Maybe you have to test a few things until you find something that does work.
Teamwork could come into play of course. Specialization lets people get stronger in a few areas. I have some odd ideas about different ways groups could fight. Something along the lines of a tug of war maybe. A constant stream of dice rolls & Energy matched against the dice rolls & Energy of an Enemy. The match goes on for a number of Rounds until one side pushes all the way to their target.
If I want to complicate things I might introduce different levels of combat as well. The basic level would be everything I have described so far. Psychic and Astral spring to mind but I could come up with a different approach. Each person would exist on all the different levels and might be more vulnerable on one than the other.
The big fight briefly described above starts. Two PCs fall as far back as they can, shield up heavily and dive into the Astral and Psychic planes. There they each do things to test the defenses of their Enemy. When they return their focus to their normal bodies they report to their Leader. Based on that perhaps they will send a few people into one of the planes to launch a full attack.
How would it play?
A mix of time at the School learning, training and probably experimenting, along with high intensity missions out in the world. Always maintaining cover and letting the World go on it's merry way. Magic makes such things easy when it comes time to clean up. Humans would become involved for a short time in your Adventures and then probably be made to forget.
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(-)Last edited by Alexander Tau; 07-22-2009, 10:26 PM.Comment
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I like #6, although am I to understand that they have to collect 'mana' per say over time by absorbing it from the proper source? Cause that is reminding me of Magic: The Gathering and the use of colored lands. The idea of a secret society of 'mages' also brings to mind the movie The Covenant, especially the part about 8 people meeting a guy who is far stronger. I think this would make a really interesting game, but I think the problem is that people will read it, see three words: Students, School, and Magic. While I won't openly thrash HP, I really don't know that it would catch a lot of attention, or if it did, it would be a lot of the wrong attention. The game looks great, but personally, I would consider something else other than a school.
You want a different word for spells? Well let's see...
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One of the problems of presenting Concepts is that you insert generic words where you know you should have something better. But I think the presentation problem can be fixed because I want to use a fairly heavy set of unique terms anyway.
Take a look at all the Energies listed. It is pretty easy to see how there would be times and places where each would be available in greater supplies. There would also be times where some might not be available at all. Since I always think of the Story first and then create Mechanics to support it I have all these little pictures of people going places and doing things just to absorb huge amounts of energy.
Someone floating invisible above the crowd at a Rock Concert just sucking in Sonic energy in huge glups. People flying up into lightning storms. Actually drawing that most powerful of zaps to yourself. People around you take the Sonics and absorb them but you take the hit and charge beyond belief. Not saying this might not be a little dangerous but I love the images.
I do not want to set any limits on the amounts of the Energies anyone can absorb. That leads to one of the weaknesses in the Design because it requires people to deal eventually with numbers much larger than a normal RPG. Not complex math but BIG math.
Never played Magic the Gathering although I know a fair bit about it. The Covanant, I think I have that movie around here somewhere. Not bad and had some fun parts to it. There was a fairly similar one called 'The Pulse'.
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I'm not sure what you mean by cosmic, but it sounds incredibly powerful, but also difficult to obtain.
On the flip side. Gravity and heat would be extremely abundant, meaning that would never run out of the energy.
A fun thing I could see would be a wizard drawing kinetic energy from a punch, draining all the force behind it, and then using it to send the force right back at the attacker.Comment
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Cosmic is actually one of a few types that is unknown to Science at the present time. Luck is a manifestation of Cosmic for example.
Some are abundant but you can only absorb one at a time. Your idea for a 'spell' is exactly why normal combat would be nothing to these people. Only Magical combat would matter. Gives me a chance to use different basic mechanisms for the fighting.
Another minor complication is that when things are abundant this is taken into consideration when putting the Energies to use. Gravity for example is obviously going to be connected to any sort of movement and a lot of other very common things. So even for Energies that are everywhere Character may have to learn techniques to enhance their ability to absorb it.
Loki,
Ran out of time this morning. Out of your list 'Mantra' comes closest. But it needs a bit of western influence which sadly lets 'Mantra' out. I set the founding of the school in 1802
1802
And if I did not call it a School it could easily be something a bit different. Used Fortress already so I would have to come up with a new one.
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I have been looking at different ways to do Combat for a while. Finding different sorts of actions that could be taken during a fight beyond blasting or shielding yourself.
What if the Energy Landscape were as important to the outcome of a fight as tactics? This idea would be based on the concept that different 'spells' work better in different environments. Gravity is everywhere so flying would always be possible but an excess of certain other Energies could cause flying to be more difficult.
One of the Players might have to expend Energy at the start to 'prep the Battlefield'. By doing this they alter the basic Energy Landscape a bit to favor the things the Team is going to do, or to mess with their enemy. Lots of choices to make here. If you enhance Flying then your enemies can make use of that as well.
It would not be possible to develop one simple set of actions that lead to success every time. If your enemies have similar abilities you might attempt to dampen those things that you are really good at. Victory in this case would be based on how well you could use your lesser abilities. Hopefully you can do that better than they can.
Combat as dynamic logic puzzle really.
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We could probably make a wheel where certain element are more powerful against other elements, and weaker against other elements.
A quick version: (The element on the left would be weak, the one to the right would be strong)
9-3-7-6-4-5-8-2-1-9...
OR
Electricity loses to Kinetic, which loses to LifeForce, which loses to Psychic, which loses to Sonic, which loses to Gravity, which loses to Cosmic, which loses to Light, which loses to Heat, which loses to Electricity.
This would only provide a moderate advantage, nothing to major. A decent Psychic User could still trample a novice Sonic User.
This could be adapted to a defense action. So if the enemy uses a fireball (Heat) you could defend with a lightning wall (Electricity) which would be very effective, a fire/ice wall (Heat) which would be moderatly efective, any other sort of barrior (other than light) would till be rather effective, or a prism shield thing (light) which would be quite ineffective, so you'd better be a lot better at light than your opponent is at fire, or it's going to get through and probably kill you.
Also, we could so far as to say that all people are born with an attraction to one or two of the elements, which would give them a bonus to that element.
A perfect senario would, if many wizards teamed up, have each one specialise in a different element. That might be too effective though, so during character creation, you may want to make sure that the characters remain hidden, so there could be some overlap.Comment
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Sometimes I add in some other elements just to make the Design unique. In this case I thought I would make Character Creation complely about the Human with no references to Magic at all. Rather than have people jocking for different types of approaches they can just decide that inside the Game itself.
But I do like the idea of each PC having latent Talents that they are not aware of. These would come out once they got started and could influence their choices.
Combat
I think in terms of raw Energies there would be a fixed table of what is stronger than what. But that sort of combat would be too simple and probably not used all that much. Mostly I see it as the combination of a sort of Tug of War where each side is pouring energy into the fight and rolling to see how much effect their efforts have.
The idea of Elemental interactions does work though. If your Enemy incorporates an Ice Wall into their defenses attacking with Fire would be the best way usually.
Chess is a game with only 6 types of Pieces with unique movement styles. But the combinations of how they can be used is pretty much infinite. Kinda going for that idea. A Combat System where distance and most of the usual things just don't matter at all.
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Would there be a set amount of energy you can absorb? I would think yes, else you could have your finger stuck in an outlet for a week and then blow up the world...
Or we take the route that common things like gravity and light don't convert efficiantly into magic, therefore even if you can constantly take gravity from the air, you need a lot of gravity-energy to cast fly so it balances out versus LifeForce, in which you could steal one person's life force, killing them, and make it last for quite a while.Comment
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As long as you are incorporating strengths and weaknesses into a energy hierarchy, it might be interesting to add elements creation interactions too like in the Chinese elements. In the five chinese elements each element can destroy another (fire->metal->wood->earth->water->fire...) but there is also a philosophy that certain elements enhance or create others (fire->earth->metal->water->wood->fire...) This could add some complexity of the "rock paper scissors" mechanic of the energies and there are already some easy connections: Light creates heat, which is moving particles and could possibly enhance kinetic which could create sonic and so forth, or perhaps you would start out with moving electric fields creating magnetism which could affect gravity, whatever. This might create more than a simple "I put more energy into the environment" and might create a difference between having enough energy to cast and how much bang you get for your buck. Or perhaps just a more nuanced power progression.
Just an idea.Comment
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Dr. Leo,
Actually I don't want to have any limits on the amount of any Energy that a person can hold. When PCs are not fighting or otherwise expending Magic they are always drawing in something. This idea forms part of the foundation actions of the game.
One thing I always think about is what exactly a PC will be doing moment to moment in the Game. With an RPG there is of course an Infinity of possibilities. But since a Game always has a point or focus PC tend to select from a fairly limited set of choices most of the time. So I think about those and in this case I want to come up with new types of Game Mechanisms. Wierd ways to do a number of different things.
I think as long as what you have to expend is large enough (and a point a second or more adds up fast outside of Combat) then it will work.
Pen,
I have always favored Air - Earth - Fire - Water - Spirit myself but what you described is pretty much what I am thinking.
PCs will always know they are moving though the Sea of all the Energy types. The balance moment to moment or perhaps place to place will always be an interest. Having connection between the types would just be part of the puzzle-like scheme.
I am considering how we could do multi-stage 'spells'. The first one runs from the moment you trigger it and sets the conditions for the second 'spell'. As long as the first is going you can cast the second whenever you need to. Your first stage 'spell' could possibility also set conditions for other of your group to cast similar second 'spells'.
So this is not that much more different that a Cleric running a Prayer or a Chant. But it would work a bit differently since the initial spell generally does nothing useful except set up the second. You have to constantly expend Energy to maintain the initial spell and if it is somehow disrupted you lose your ability to cast the second.
Maybe this is too much but I can also see multistage work.
Spell 1: Modify the Energy conditions of the current location, runs til the task is done
Spell 2: Creates a container for Energies and begin filling it
Spell 3: Link others to the container so they can contribute to the filling
Spell 4: The actual Spell takes all the accumulated Energies, shapes them, and throws them at something.
Now imagine if it took 6 people an Hour to fill this Energy Container. Their goal is to find a Dragon and blast it so they have to try and arrive just after they are ready to use the big pool of collected energy. Trying to get to their goal location and keeping the spells running while dealing with minor distractions might just prove interesting.
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Concept #7
Working Title: Role Playing Noir
My last few Games have all involved a fair amount of Technology. I am fairly good with that stuff but I have been thinking about doing something very different. Something simplier in a lot of ways and much more focused on Characterization and atmosphere.
Society evolves over time and one of the things that changes is the amount of general knowledge that exists. Once you move into the modern age (lets say 1980+) people know a lot more than in previous times. They know about fundamental forces and the basics of Science.
But when you go back things get simplier. I have always been struck by how effective the original Shadow could be even though all he had was a very limited power of Invisibility. Most of the SuperHero types from the 40s and earlier had little to no actual power but instead put what they had to very effective use.
Setting a Game in the 1930s or 40s also means you have have the Nazi's as an enemy which is always fun.
Current very rough Concept
1940. May. WWII has started but the US is not involved yet but Germany is about to invade France.
The United States Government is concerned. A wave of sabotage and a massive increase in crime have roots in German Spy activity. They fear that the Country will be destroyed from within long before a jackboot lands on American soil. So a plan is devised. The most comprehensive review of the whole America population ever undertaken is begun. It's goal is to identify a special breed of person.
This group is assembled on May the 1st. They are told of the dangers of the subversive actions of the German Agents. They are also shown information about Crime and the organized path it seemed to be taking nationwide. The assembled men and women are told they might be able to help.
What is revealed to these people is that there is more to Life than what is commonly accepted. Over the course of it's history the USA has acquired a number of objects. Every single one of them defies all Scientific logic. They are items of power many of which are connected to Myths and Legends.
Possessing even one of them turns an ordinary man or woman into something more. A Hero.
More than the items there is also knowledge. Things that are difficult to understand unless you are just the right kind of person. A single individual might only be able to learn one new thing. But that one thing might allow them to Teleport across a room so again each one is extremely powerful.
For as long as possible it is important that the identities and actions of our new Heros remain a secret. Newspapers, Police and other Officials will be directed to quietly keep things under wraps.
... End
This could stay limited to the USA and involve what has been described. Or... I could get ambitious and eventually allow the new Heros to affect the path of WWII. Pretty much along the Green Hornet, Shadow or similar types of Characters. A bit of magic, a few Monsters, and a lot of Story.
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Concept #8
SuperHeros in Character
The short Hollywood-style description of this Concept goes as follows:
Marvel's Secret Wars meets D.C.'s Multiverse done in a modern Comic Movie style.
What this means is that I want to take 5-7 Hero groups from different Time Periods and bring them together. Not in any place any of them have ever been. Not in a World that has had SuperHeros before.
A place that barely even has SuperHero Comics much less actual MetaHumans.
The Twist
This is not exactly a big battle sort of Game. In fact it is intended to have a specific length run and then finish up. The bulk of the Story has to do with the interaction of the displaced SuperHeros. This would be a chance to get deeply into the mythos and motivations of people who put on costumes. It is the most RP-focused thing I have done in a long time.
When the Heros first arrive they will have a place to hide out and get their bearings. They will quickly learn that not only has none of them ever been here before but they are far far away from anything they have known. The Mystics will not be able to invoke beings they normally can and opening a Portal home is impossible.
So at first they will do a lot of covert Recon. With people like The Flash and Batman that will be fairly easy to accomplish. They will discover nothing that would require the awesome might that they represent. Sure there is Crime and War but nothing that begs for MetaHuman attention. They will find no clues as to why they are here whatsoever.
Now what?
That will be the question that will get a lot of different answers. The point of using people from different Time Periods is to bring very different points of view into the mix. Take a set of Golden Age Heros. To them you get out and help people no matter where you are or what is happening. That is what they do. In the original days people supported the Heros pretty blindly. Much as the US supported it's Government back in the WWII days.
But consider a modern day Hero like Spider-Man. He has been outlawed, hunted, and had his identity revealed on TV. For him perhaps this would be a chance to take a break. He would want to get home like everybody else but if this World does not really need him why should he bother?
Another layer comes from the limited Future people I would allow. Spider-Girl is Spider-Man's daughter who is born sometime around 2010 or so. She too becomes a Hero and does so because of her father. Imagine her confronting him over getting out and doing something.
The Characters
The Teams and when they are from would be pre-selected. Players would have 2 choices as to the types of people they wish to play. They can either select one of the members of the Teams or they can go for any Comic Character from any Time Period. The focus is on Marvel and D.C. but other publishers would probably be allowed as well. There would be no power restrictions at all. Superman, Flash, Thor, Dr. Strange, Orion, Iron Man, Spider-Man and more would be available for people to play.
Who a Player picks to play will determine a little bit about how things will work. The plan is to have enough Characters in the groups to balance the Solo Characters. Votes will be taken on some key issues along the way (Like do we reveal ourselves to this World, that sort of thing). Groups will vote as a block with their Leader making the final decision. With say 6 groups of 6 each that is 36 votes. There might be as many as 20 Solo Characters. Simple majority will probably rule for most things.
As an example...
Lets say that is the Avengers that have been transported to this new Earth. The line-up is Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther, Vision and the Scarlet Witch.
(1973)
Justice Society, X-Men, Justice League and Teen Titans are all leading candidates for the groups. But there would be room for people like the Watchmen if there was specific interest.
If a Player wanted to play one of those people they would be a part of that group. Groups would confront questions first and come to a decision. This would be heavily influenced by their Leader as is the tradition in Comics. Then when the Leader votes he does so will all the votes of his group. Some Leaders will be run by Staff and some by Players. But it is hard to find good Leaders so the balance is hard to guess. All the group Characters have to start with the personalities and attitudes of the time in question. They can, and should however evolve during the course of the Game.
If on the other hand the Player wanted to play say QuickSilver, brother of Scarlet Witch and sometime Avenger he/she could play the Character from any Time Period they wished, before or after the group's time. This would allow for a more modern QuickSilver to interact with his past Sister and friends.
The Plot so to speak
This is still just a set of possibilities. Obviously someone or someones have sent the Heros to this place. But who that might be would be influenced first by the Storylines of the Groups in question and second by what would work well in this setting.
What might be going on...
1) By plucking all the Groups and Solos out of different Time Periods and from multiple Dimensions the Baddies are trying to create a self-sealing Change. Picture Time as a River. It begins in the West and flows to the East. 1970 is at one spot on the River. 1985 is at another downriver. By removing the Avengers at 1970 it starts a ripple in the River that heads for 1985. By ripple I mean all of what happens after that moment changes in some big ways. Then just as that ripple is about to reach 1985 the next group is plucked up. This has the effect of magnifying the ripple into an even bigger on.
Do that 6-7 times, add in some side Dimensions to broaden the ripple, pull individuals out along the way to enhance the effect, and you end up with a massive, multi-layered wave of Change.
2) The point of putting everybody on this strange Earth is to cut them off. Mages lose power, Tech-based people are restricted, information sources are lost, it adds up to quite a bit. The effective power of the group will drop rapidly. Some people, like say Superman, will remain as formidable as ever but others would be greatly effected. Iron Man would have to do a lot of work to be able to replace lost components for example.
The Pace
This is a 4 month Adventure. It has a specific ending although depending on what happens it could set the stage for more.
1st Month: The Gathering
Heros arrive and Recon. They debate. One month of dialogue with very limited action.
Questions:
Do we do anything beyond looking for the Big Bad or the way Home?
What about escalation? What if we cause SuperVillains to emerge and then leave?
Can we operate completely covertly? Could Magic make it possible?
Do we stay here, where we were dropped, or find some other place?
How do we live in this place? What will we do for food, money and the like?
2nd Month: Making their way
Depending on what is decided the Heros will start to act. Some people will have to be out in the World doing something. Even if the Vote says 'stay out of this world's affairs' there will be some who will not be able to obey. Some Heros will be driven to get out and do what they do. That will have consequences that could go a lot of different ways.
3rd Month: Consequences
By the time this month rolls around a lot will have happened. Perhaps the Heros will be fully public. Or maybe there will just be tons of stories and whispers. If you save people's lives they tend to notice and talk. The first real solid clues about the overall Storyline will finally emerge. The path to the final battle will begin take form.
4th Month: The Reckoning
Essentially one month long battle. Not just a fight of course there will be other things going on. With this many Characters there is a lot of potential for layers. With the power level of the people involved this will be a battle on a Cosmic sort of scale. Building up and doing this is part of the driving force behind the whole project.
You see I am of the opinion that Comics do not really do justice to many of their Heros. It is understandable that if you have a Superman or a Thor on a Team you have to limit them a bit. If Superman were to use his real speed all the time most JLA stories would be very short. The same goes for the various Flashes and other SuperSpeeedsters. You can say 'well Superman is just letting everybody have a go'. Which I understand but if it were a real battle that would be a dangerous thing to do. People, even Super People, die in battles. So if I were Superman I would not hold back when it gets serious.
This battle will be serious. It will take a fair amount of work to make it happen but it can be done.
The Game System
This is a Role Playing effort. A mix of FreeForm with some Rule support to add some randomness. What I am thinking is the absolute bare minimum numbers needed to support play. No complex Character sheets and fast easy Combat is the goal. Something along these lines might work:
Power: 1-10
Speed: 1-10
Body: 1=10
Combat: 1-10
Power being Offense, Speed being movement and reactions, Body is durability and Combat would be combat skills and abilities. If you need a To hit you do
50% + (Difference between Combat values * 10) = Chance of Success.
The idea here is simply that the Stats cover pretty much everything. This is a far more abstract approach than use in a traditional RPG. The biggest plus to this approach is speed. Secondary Values would be limited to perhaps Hit Points which would be something like BODY times 20 or so. A BODY 5 Character would have 100 Hit Points.
What makes this Concept interesting
It is a limited Game focused on Character Interaction above Action. There is a huge range of potential Characters all with a full history. Players can choose the level of power they are interested in playing. The difference between playing a Superman and playing a Batman are pretty major.
The groups will bring a whole range of attitudes into the discussions. This should make for a very dynamic and intense dialogue. What will the early Heros make of the ones from closer to today? Will they even all get along.
People are going to die. This is not an automatic success sort of Story. Even under the best of conditions a fair percentage of the PCs may get killed. That is just not part of a normal Game.
A.T
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