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Superheroes: Supermodern Discussion here

Started by Xathan, July 25, 2006, 07:01:26 PM

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Xathan

#15
October 29, 2006, 11:20:11 AM
Ok, for those of you who have been following along at home, I just added some new heros and a new Villian to Supermodern, and I have little blurbs on tons more. I would love questions on all the material, new and old, and I also want to hear which little blurbs you'd be interested in seeming me expand.
AnIndex of My Work

Quote from: Sparkletwist
It's llitul and the brain, llitul and the brain, one is a genius and the other's insane
Proud Receiver of a Golden Dorito
[spoiler=SRD AND OGC AND LEGAL JUNK]UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED IN THE POST, NONE OF THE ABOVE CONTENT IS CONSIDERED OGC, EXCEPT FOR MATERIALS ALREADY MADE OGC BY PRIOR PUBLISHERS
Appendix I: Open Game License Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)"Derivative Material" means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)"Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) "Trademark" means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used" or "Using" means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder's name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.
10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Fudge 10th Anniversary Edition Copyright 2005, Grey Ghost Press, Inc.; Authors Steffan O'Sullivan and Ann Dupuis, with additional material by Jonathan Benn, Peter Bonney, Deird'Re Brooks, Reimer Behrends, Don Bisdorf, Carl Cravens, Shawn Garbett, Steven Hammond, Ed Heil, Bernard Hsiung, J.M. "Thijs" Krijger, Sedge Lewis, Shawn Lockard, Gordon McCormick, Kent Matthewson, Peter Mikelsons, Robb Neumann, Anthony Roberson, Andy Skinner, William Stoddard, Stephan Szabo, John Ughrin, Alex Weldon, Duke York, Dmitri Zagidulin
System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Modern System Reference Doument Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Walker.

Unearthed Arcana Copyright 2004, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Andy Collins, Jesse Decker, David Noonan, Rich Redman.

Mutants and Masterminds Second Edition Copyright 2005, Green Ronin Publishing; Steve Kenson
Fate (Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment) Copyright 2003 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Authors Robert Donoghue and Fred Hicks.
Spirit of the Century Copyright 2006 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Authors Robert Donoghue, Fred Hicks, and Leonard Balsera
Xathan's forum posts at http://www.thecbg.org Copyright 2006-2011, J.A. Raizman.
[/spoiler]

Xathan

#16
October 30, 2006, 09:13:46 PM
No new content, but I added pictures of Watchgirl and Leprechaun. Anyone have any thoughts on any of this?
AnIndex of My Work

Quote from: Sparkletwist
It's llitul and the brain, llitul and the brain, one is a genius and the other's insane
Proud Receiver of a Golden Dorito
[spoiler=SRD AND OGC AND LEGAL JUNK]UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED IN THE POST, NONE OF THE ABOVE CONTENT IS CONSIDERED OGC, EXCEPT FOR MATERIALS ALREADY MADE OGC BY PRIOR PUBLISHERS
Appendix I: Open Game License Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)"Derivative Material" means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)"Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) "Trademark" means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used" or "Using" means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder's name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.
10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Fudge 10th Anniversary Edition Copyright 2005, Grey Ghost Press, Inc.; Authors Steffan O'Sullivan and Ann Dupuis, with additional material by Jonathan Benn, Peter Bonney, Deird'Re Brooks, Reimer Behrends, Don Bisdorf, Carl Cravens, Shawn Garbett, Steven Hammond, Ed Heil, Bernard Hsiung, J.M. "Thijs" Krijger, Sedge Lewis, Shawn Lockard, Gordon McCormick, Kent Matthewson, Peter Mikelsons, Robb Neumann, Anthony Roberson, Andy Skinner, William Stoddard, Stephan Szabo, John Ughrin, Alex Weldon, Duke York, Dmitri Zagidulin
System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Modern System Reference Doument Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Walker.

Unearthed Arcana Copyright 2004, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Andy Collins, Jesse Decker, David Noonan, Rich Redman.

Mutants and Masterminds Second Edition Copyright 2005, Green Ronin Publishing; Steve Kenson
Fate (Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment) Copyright 2003 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Authors Robert Donoghue and Fred Hicks.
Spirit of the Century Copyright 2006 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Authors Robert Donoghue, Fred Hicks, and Leonard Balsera
Xathan's forum posts at http://www.thecbg.org Copyright 2006-2011, J.A. Raizman.
[/spoiler]

Velox

#17
October 30, 2006, 11:50:06 PM
I skimmed it and I love it. I have never been a huge fan of mainstream superhero type games (i.e. marvel/DC inspired), but this does look interesting. What is the timeframe? the current date in the game? I love referances to the 50's and 60's; it's almost as if superheros replaced the atomic bomb. I love referances to soviet russia, and big-evil governments and corps (I love a bunch of old fashioned G-men; great villains). Retro cold war stuff is so awesome. Especially with superheros. Super-Kennedy, anyone? Lord Nixon, the despoiler? Castro el Terriblo?

Also, the villains are cool so far. Classic themes that I really enjoy, and I think most comic/superhero fans will appreciate: supremecists, galactic emporers, criminal masterminds, mysterious cults and international crime organizations.

If I can pull myself away from video games, Shadowrun, Lovecraft, Steampunk, Darkstone, and school, then I'll read and comment more. Don't hold your breath ;)

Xathan

#18
October 31, 2006, 02:18:06 AM
Quote from: Velox121I skimmed it and I love it. I have never been a huge fan of mainstream superhero type games (i.e. marvel/DC inspired), but this does look interesting.
What is the timeframe? the current date in the game?[/quote]I love referances to the 50's and 60's; it's almost as if superheros replaced the atomic bomb.[/quote]I love referances to soviet russia, and big-evil governments and corps (I love a bunch of old fashioned G-men; great villains). Retro cold war stuff is so awesome. Especially with superheros. Super-Kennedy, anyone? Lord Nixon, the despoiler? Castro el Terriblo?[/quote]Also, the villains are cool so far. Classic themes that I really enjoy, and I think most comic/superhero fans will appreciate: supremecists, galactic emporers, criminal masterminds, mysterious cults and international crime organizations.[/quote]If I can pull myself away from video games, Shadowrun, Lovecraft, Steampunk, Darkstone, and school, then I'll read and comment more. Don't hold your breath ;)
[/quote]

Heh, I won't. If you get the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if not, that's completely cool. I'll give Darkstone another looksy in the near future, it's been awhile since I've seen the fun and interesting steampunk action of your setting. Plus, the idea of steam powered biker gangs...brilliant!
AnIndex of My Work

Quote from: Sparkletwist
It's llitul and the brain, llitul and the brain, one is a genius and the other's insane
Proud Receiver of a Golden Dorito
[spoiler=SRD AND OGC AND LEGAL JUNK]UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED IN THE POST, NONE OF THE ABOVE CONTENT IS CONSIDERED OGC, EXCEPT FOR MATERIALS ALREADY MADE OGC BY PRIOR PUBLISHERS
Appendix I: Open Game License Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)"Derivative Material" means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)"Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) "Trademark" means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used" or "Using" means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder's name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.
10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Fudge 10th Anniversary Edition Copyright 2005, Grey Ghost Press, Inc.; Authors Steffan O'Sullivan and Ann Dupuis, with additional material by Jonathan Benn, Peter Bonney, Deird'Re Brooks, Reimer Behrends, Don Bisdorf, Carl Cravens, Shawn Garbett, Steven Hammond, Ed Heil, Bernard Hsiung, J.M. "Thijs" Krijger, Sedge Lewis, Shawn Lockard, Gordon McCormick, Kent Matthewson, Peter Mikelsons, Robb Neumann, Anthony Roberson, Andy Skinner, William Stoddard, Stephan Szabo, John Ughrin, Alex Weldon, Duke York, Dmitri Zagidulin
System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Modern System Reference Doument Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Walker.

Unearthed Arcana Copyright 2004, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Andy Collins, Jesse Decker, David Noonan, Rich Redman.

Mutants and Masterminds Second Edition Copyright 2005, Green Ronin Publishing; Steve Kenson
Fate (Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment) Copyright 2003 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Authors Robert Donoghue and Fred Hicks.
Spirit of the Century Copyright 2006 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Authors Robert Donoghue, Fred Hicks, and Leonard Balsera
Xathan's forum posts at http://www.thecbg.org Copyright 2006-2011, J.A. Raizman.
[/spoiler]

Lmns Crn

#19
January 16, 2007, 07:11:35 PM
Hi! I warned you ahead of time that I would be taking a look at this material soon, so here I am. In the interest of full disclosure, I warn you that I don't know very much about comics, and I am completely unfamiliar with the Mutants and Masterminds system. So I'm a bit of a blank slate here, unfamiliar with many of the common tropes of the genre, and I hope that perspective is helpful to you, rather than frustrating.

I'm not sure how much of the information in this comments thread is still accurate and valid, and how much of it has been replaced by as-yet-unwritten revisions. So please forgive me if some of my questions seem redundant-- I'm just being cautious.

First thing's first, your overview intrigues me. You're doing some interesting things with altered real-world history, and you're definitely striving for a gritty feel. In my book, that's two strong points in your favor already. You seem to be drawing the line between Hero and Villain rather faintly (if at all), and it's clear that there's some complex moral minefields to be explored, and a lot of weight given to the consequences of actions (as Kansas City and South America can attest.)

My questions for this part center around the ways this timeline differs from our real-world one. Is there a clear point of divergence where your supermodern timeline breaks away from actual history (and if so, is it still the Renaissance, as this thread seems to imply? You seem to have several different sub-timelines listed above, and I'm having trouble detangling them.)

What event (if there is a clear cause) sparked the events that make Supermodern different from the real world? Is there a clear cause to all of this?

Last (and I know this is a HUGE open-ended one), but what are some of the other things that are different about Supermodern-- i.e., any other Kansas Cities that would be interesting to know about?

I'm also a little curious about the outer space issues, and where all these alien races are coming from. What's the significance of Mars (and why is it bigger than we're used to?) How many alien races are we dealing with here, and are they all originating from inside the Milky Way, or even from inside our own solar system? It seems you are using different alien species to create a variety of extra-terrestrial experiences-- some aliens might grow up in the house next door and you'd never suspect a thing, while others are truly foreign, unmistakably strange, otherworldly beings.

As for the Sharal, I'm wondering about what happened in their war with the shadows. If new Sharal are coming to Earth seeking a corporeal existence, I can assume the shadows didn't wipe them out. Are the original 4,000 and their descendants regarded as cowards for fleeing the war? What is the state of the Sharal homeworld? Is the Sharal-ness of these creatures enough to convey superpowers, or does the peculiar mixture of Sharal and human blood act as the true catalyst for superheroic development?

While I'm thinking about it, what other sorts of origins besides extraterrestrial or hellish influence (which you seem to be focusing on) can cause a person to become superpowered? Are we going with wacky science, psychic mysticism, magic, the indomitable human will... what's on the table?

One last thing about aliens: how much does the general public know about the Sharal? You seem to say that the Scions of Sharal know about their origins but the Hybrids do not (so why do they call themselves Hybrids?), but the general public has known at least about the existence of half-breeds since the "alien panic" of the 70's. How does all this fit together, exactly?

(There is a minor technical snafu-- your various Spoiler, OOC, and Note tags in the Watchgirl/Leprechaun portion of the thread seem a bit tangled up.)

As for the various superheroes and villains themselves, my feelings are a little more mixed. You seem to have multiple examples of heroes that are designed to ape a style-- the Supermodern versions of Batman, Spiderman, that sort of thing. I wonder how much of this is just playing to the strengths and familiar ideas of the genre, and how much is just hampering your creative process. Because honestly, my favorite tidbits from this section are the less well-defined characters, the ones that aren't trying so hard to mimic established IPs.
QuoteThe Red Star: A Russian superhero, former foe to Miss Murell, now seeking his place in a pre-Soviet Union world.
Technis: Ruler of a nation of intelligent robots, this former superhero has removed herself from humanity and the world.[/quote]Atrocity: Ancient half-alien, seeks to rule the world and expand the half-alien domain to the stars, while utterly annihilating every last trace of humanity form the world, as well as destroying the metahumans he deems week.[/quote]Purge: A man who seeks to destroy genetic impurities from the world, believes himself to be blessed with the cleansing light of God to do so â,¬' powers actually part of own genetic anomaly.[/quote]Asmodai: An extremely powerful fiend, Asmodai was responsible for the invasion of Earth by Hell and has endowed numerous mortals with power.[/quote]Your Mephistopheles, or your brainwashing thug? Tell me more about this one, and his modas operandi.

In general, I seem to find your villain ideas more compelling that your heroic ones, so far. I'm not sure why that is the case, but there seems to be more internal conflict there.

One last observation. It seems you have a pattern among your villains-- lots of them have vast, world-spanning organizations and crime empires that make them powerful, rather than just being personally mighty by virtue of superpowers. Some of them (Sonny Favazza, etc.) seem to be regular humans who happen to command such forces-- despite having no superpowers, they can contend with superheroes on an even scale.

My question is, does Supermodern have any room for the reverse? Can a normal human (albeit a particularly courageous and clever one) stand a chance against Super-Evil? What massive organizations aid the cause of justice and righteousness (if there are any?) Or are you "stacking the deck" in terms of the setting's tone by limiting monolithic organizations to the side of evil, so that heroes are always assured to be outnumbered and outgunned?

Also, I wonder what your thoughts are about balancing the need to have well-known and iconic heroes with the need to have a niche for PC heroes to inhabit where they won't be overshadowed by these world-famous setting standards.

Overall, a great store of information is here. It's interesting, and it's entertaining, and I'm glad to have read it. I will be looking forward to seeing what further directions your continual fleshing-out of Supermodern takes, especially in terms of the big-picture, grand-scheme-of-things ideas.

This is really good stuff.
I move quick: I'm gonna try my trick one last time--
you know it's possible to vaguely define my outline
when dust move in the sunshine

Xathan

#20
January 22, 2007, 10:57:48 PM
Sorry I haven't replied to this yet, LC, but you posed some really interesting questions that I'm now working on, especially about the Sharal, and I want to give such a well thought out post the reply it deserves. Just to clarify a couple points where I wasn't clear earlier:

1) The settings in this thread (Fallen, Redemption, Evolution) are actually entirely different settings from Supermodern, though they take place in the same multiverse, so cross overs do exist.

2) The Hybrids and the Scions both know they are descended from the Sharal, and the common person knows this as well. I have two ideas for how people got this information. Either some scientist discovered it and told people, or a Sharal artifact was discovered and people found out that way.

For the questions you asked, the ones that are really giving me trouble are the ones about aliens and about other parts of the world that have been significantly altered, simply because I have so many ideas but using them all would make the World a bit too cluttered. When I reply fully to your post (which should be in the next two days, barring some massive disaster) I'll have that information fleshed out.

Thanks for the post. It really gave me a ton of thoughts on Supermodern and it's helping me give the setting some more direction and focus. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you find the new stuff I cook up equally enjoyable!
AnIndex of My Work

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