Hi, forum folk. This is Caleb from the AP's. I'm learnin' how to use this new-fangled computer thing.
If we go the Wild Talents route, I've already talked some with Ross and Cody. I think it is important to have some sort of hook that gets the whole party adventuring together. Otherwise, it'll just be a whole bunch of PC superhero fights without the team-up at the end. Here's what I've brought up and what I've heard.
1. "Birds of Prey"
Cody brought up that if we try to localize the game in a single city, there could be an NPC character that brings the characters together ala "the Oracle." Some generalized cyber clubhouse would become the base of operations, but the agenda could still be decided by the group beforehand (i.e. We must...save the world/fight for justice/revolt/profit/just survive/etc.) On the plus side, PC's get an instant party agenda with which to progress the story. On the down side, the "voice in the radio" mechanic could become a bit to linear, railroad-y, and video game-ish.
2. DIY Transhumanism
The thing I like most about Ross's idea is that even though the superpowers have gone "global," they are still fundamentally garage-band endeavors. It reminds me of Etsy: let's use the power of global communication so I can make a living by sitting at home and sewing dolls together out of discarded buttons and yarn. The global explosion of technology is utilized for localized action. That seems to me the definition of superhero stories; massive, wide-ranging powers limited either by self-interest or the basic shortcomings of humanity.
So my idea was that after everyone roles characters, the PC's role up one last character: the city itself. Each party member gets a borough or neighborhood as his/her "turf." They design the feel of each neighborhood: architecture, population, transportation, history, etc. The city's primary landmarks hover on the borders of each neighborhood, which would encourage the PC's to give the city some sort of overall theme.
This way, each "hero" gets a certain neighborhood to "patrol" that is most directly affected by their actions. The city as a whole can be affected as well, but everyone will know that Old Town is where "THE PLATYPUS" reigns supreme, or whatever. The upside of this mechanic is that everyone gets a very personalized origin story, everyone is instantly invested in the story through a individualized setting of their own design, and it still provides a hook for group action in that occasionally characters must ban together to stop larger threats (whilst still serving self-interest). Also, where did the DM's character go? Oh, there was a bank robbery in __________. The downside is that this mechanic is VERY traditional superteam stuff, and this much room provided for character individualism could lead to party disunity in extreme cases (i.e. Go ahead and blow up my neighborhood; I wanted to move anyway).
3. Superheroic Tomb Raiding
Ross's hook that new superheroism is derived from the remnants of the old Greats is really intriguing. The common party interest could eschew localization entirely. The group's main goal could just be to find and excavate the leftover transhuman weapon caches yet to be pillaged all over the world. What they did with what was discovered would be up to the PC's. Do they want to make super-powers open-source and just dump it all on the internet, Wikileaks-style? In that case, the government is going to be sending Pinioned after them. Do they want to profit financially, or supplement their own powers? In that case, there is going to be fierce competition against other groups and a loss of their own humanity. Do they want to archive these rare items and bits of knowledge for a day humanity might be ready for them? If so, the same pirate factions will be displeased and the group will have to face its own hypocrisy at some point. Do they just want to solve the mystery of what happened the night the sky lit up? To me, this is most interesting goal, as the thread of what happened leading up to the night of the alien invasion is a mystery the whole campaign could center around.
Upside to this last one would be the opportunity to write two superhero continuum's at once: the events before the blast and the societal aftermath. There would also be a whole lot more variety, both in locales and type of play (investigative, combat, persuasive, transportive, etc). But the upsides are also downsides, as that is a lot of world-building to put on the shoulders of the GM and players. Furthermore, just how do these characters get into this global secret society? They are, after all, just low-level superhero wannabe's at the start. And how do they fund their endeavors on a global scale if they have any motivation other that just pure profit?
Anyway, I'm just thinking aloud here. Interested to hear what y'all have to say.
