Request to Join

We will be starting the campaign in the 'Golden Age' of comic books. You will be a 'Mystery Man' (or woman) fighting the Axis powers during the Second World War.

In this early age of comics, powers tended to be simple and not far outside the range of ordinary people. Cunning gadgets and special weapons tended to be more common.

Examples:

Captain America, a strong fighter with an invulnerable shield.
Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos, a special forces team of colourful characters.
The Human Torch, an android who could ignite himself on fire and attack with it.
Namor, a super-strong swimming man.

General rule: Try explaining your hero to a five-year-old. If you have to use terms like "subatomic particles" and "probability manipulation," simplify it.

Although the culture of the time was intolerant to various people, creeds, colours, and all sorts of other things, I don't want to run a game like that. There will be intolerant people, but they will be villanous scum. If you want to play a Islamic Black gay transgender woman, it doesn't count as a disadvantage.

This game will be defined by Phases. The first phase will be during the Second World War, and during the Golden Age of comic books.

In your RtJ, suggest what character you would like for the Prime plotline. This could be a masked hero, a soldier, or someone else who has been recruited by the Allies to fight for freedom.

As this is the first phase, we will be beginning a Prime plotline without establishing any characters yet. You may wish to begin the first prime plot with a supporting character, and save the introduction of your own Prime for later.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:33, Sat 31 Aug 2019.

Our Storytelling Objective

After reading requests on the appropriate thread for someone to make a superhero RPG, I decided to assist with that very thing.

This game will take place in a world inspired by, and drawing in part from, the Marvel universe. I want to emulate the plot- and character-development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe using a role-playing game medium.

Here's how it will work:

There will be a 'main' plotline going on with all the players' primary characters. We will call this the Prime thread.

In addition, there will also be a Secondary plotline going on. One of the players' primary characters will be the main superhero in this story. Other players will take the roles of supporting characters within that story.

MOVIE EXAMPLE:

In Captain America: the First Avenger, one of the players is playing as Steve Rogers / Captain America. He is their Prime character and the focus of the story. Meanwhile, two other players are taking on the Supporting characters of James 'Bucky' Barnes and Peggy Carter.

As theshared universe evolves, it may make sense for one of your supporting characters to themselves be an established super-powered character. It may also be possible for a supporting character to become superpowered over the course of an adventure.

MOVIE EXAMPLE:

In The Winter Soldier, the player who has previously established Natasha Romanov / Black Widow as their Prime character decides to use her as a supporting character. Meanwhile, one of the other players chooses to take on the new role as Sam Wilson. During the course of the adventure, this character becomes the Falcon.

This game is not intended to become a reboot of Marvel Cinematic Universe, or of the Marvel Comics universe. You are welcome to create your own original characters, draw upon existing ones, or recreate them in original ways.

Caveats

Things to consider before applying to this game:

 - You will be playing multiple characters. Some of those characters may not get to do much. Other times, your character will have to carry the story.
 - Every plot thread is important. Even if it does not involve one of your characters, you will have to be aware of what is going on in the others. It might influence the shared world significantly.
 - Bad things happen to good people. Heroes are defined by struggle, sacrifice, and loss more than victory. Sometimes you will fail, or be defeated, or lose something important.
 - Writing is a collaborative process. Take what your GM and your fellow players provide and add to it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:05, Sun 01 Sept 2019.

Supporting Characters

As the game evolves, the players will be asked to take on characters in addition to their Prime characters. These characters are called Supporting characters. We will introduce supporting characters during subplots focused on one of the Prime characters. This will give each of the players something to do during subplots allow them to feel more engaged. In theory, these supporting characters will have nearly as much to contribute to a subplot as the prime character. It's possible that as the fiction develops, the supporting characters may become superheroes themselves. I hope that some of the supporters win our hearts and become our favourite characters.

Supporting characters will have access to the same Moves that the Prime characters have. This includes Basic and Special Moves.

Supporting characters will start with 0 bond points. They can only gain Bonds as a result of moves made, such as Fit In. The story is about the Prime characters and the choices they make. The supporting characters do not have to make the same sacrifices of their lives to be superheroes.

Supporting characters do not have Origin playbooks. They have not yet begun their careers as superheroes. If something happens to them in the fiction of the story that resembles an Origin, they may become a superhero.

EXAMPLE

Tony Stark created a suit of armour as a prototype. After he designed more advanced suits, he stored it and moved on. When his friend Col James Rhodes decided the need was great, he donned that suit. From that moment on he was War Machine, a superhero in his own right.

Supporting characters do not begin play with any Drive Playbook open. They can open drive books if suitable events occur in the fiction.

EXAMPLE

Initially, Hope van Dyne supported her father and his protégé in preventing the Pym Particles from being misused. Later she must make her own contributions to science and superheroism. She became driven to rescue her mother from the microverse.

The support characters have the same statistics as Prime heroes: Smash, Maneuver, Influence, Protect, Investigate.
They will have the same stat array as the Prime characters: - 1, 0, +1, +1, +2. Usually you will be free to distribute them as you wish.

Supporting characters will have a powers summary, but it will be a fairly ordinary one. They will not begin with anything unlocked on their Powers Profile.

EXAMPLE

Peggy Carter begins play with a Powers Summary including:
Codebreaker
Secret Agent
When she is pursuing an enemy agent, she attempts to use a gun to force his car to a stop. She attempts the Push move, and succeeds. She adds this ability to her Powers Profile. Later on she is able to use this same 'power' to attack enemy vehicles in cars with a gun.

Special Rules for Drives

Your Prime character will begin with 1 Drive playbook unlocked. This means you can unlock the Drive book moves from it.

If something happens in the fiction that would unlock the Drive playbook you begin with, you still gain 1 achievement for it.

EXAMPLE

Iron Man begins play with the Create Drive playbook unlocked. Later during play, he repurposes his garage as a workspace for constructing armour. This earns him 1 achievement point.

Conventions

Sometimes in this game I'll be referring to one character specifically, and sometimes I'll be referring to everyone involved in the story. Since this game often has Supporting characters being off-screen for awhile, it can be confusing who is being asked to do what. It's already come up a few times, and I want to improve.

So, from now on, here's what I'll do.

During a scene transition, I will indicate in Bolded letters which characters are involved. Until further notice, they are present.

During descriptions, I will alternate between saying 'You' and naming specific characters. If I write 'You,' it indicates that everyone currently present is involved in that story is being addressed.

EXAMPLE!

Iron Jaw and Monkey-Man arrived on the scene. Iron Jaw landed hard on the ground, cracking the pavement beneath her mighty feet. Monkey-Man swung with deceptive ease from streetlights and flagpoles to hang on a traffic light.

You see a pair of armed gunmen outsight the bank, taking cover against the police. From inside, you hear the sounds of screaming and the occasional gunshot over the blaring alarm. A nearby police sergeant looks at Iron Jaw. "Get in there and stop the chaos!" he shouts.

So Iron Jaw and Monkey-Man are the ones being addressed for the foreseeable future. If other characters arrive, it will look like this:

Mega-Drive's Mega-Cycle drifts onto the scene. Iron Jaw and Monkey-Man quickly bring him up to speed via the Power Team's communicators.

There is a loud roaring, as if of rocket engines. You look up to the sky and see the arrival of Senor Bigwigge, the Mad Balloonist!