[M&M3E] A World Too Far
Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 6:30 pm
Introduction: A (Very) Brief History of Superhuman Activity
The Thirties
As far as most people are aware, supers first became active in the 1930s. For the most part, they were initially regarded as urban legends and tall tales, but by the end of the decade it was pretty clear to most people that they were real. The first large-scale battle involving multiple supers was fought in 1938, during that year's attempted invasion from Mars.
The Forties
While the supers of America and Britain assisted in morale-boosting efforts and fought spy rings (which were generally usually composed of "wannabes" rather than actual agents of the enemy powers) they never became involved in the fighting. (As far as most people are aware, at least.) Matters were different in occupied territories and in Nazi Germany, where every super who could be found was immediately either executed or used as a weapon in the army. It didn't help matters any -- no matter how powerful they were, the Reich's super-soldiers were neither immortal nor invincible, and were either captured or killed by enemy firepower. Russia, which had no supers of its own, began trying to replicate a number of German "super-soldier" experiments during and after the war, with predictably disturbing results.
The Fifties
The Atom Age saw many of the first generation of supers start to retire, less due to outside pressure than due to simple aging and the fact that there weren't really a lot of threats to face. (Aside from spy rings now composed of "wannabe" Communists.) Threats to have the aging heroes called before the HUAC never panned out, mostly because it was impossible to issue a subpoena for someone whose real name was unknown. This actually had some interesting consequences, and resulted in the current legal status of a costumed identities as a separate person who can be sued and held accountable for his or her actions. Also during this decade, some took note of the increasing extraterrestrial interest in the planet's activities, as well as the increasing frequency of mutation in the populace, and the increasing frequency of horrific magical phenomena...
The Sixties
A burst of new heroes arrived on the scene at the start of the decade, and many of the older ones came back as well, revitalized by contact with their younger counterparts in a parallel universe. But the initial optimism the newer heroes would be sorely tested by the events of the decade to follow. In particular, mutated heroes would discover exceptionally sinister activities undertaken by various factions of the United States government involving them.
The Seventies
Horrific events in both their personal lives and professional ones drove many of the newer heroes into retirement at the start of the decade. The older heroes, however, having been revitalized by various events, kept active, and were joined by some of the first of a new generation. Even they would be rocked, however, when they suffered their first major losses.
The Eighties
In the early years of the decade, more of the children of the first supers became involved in their activities, but that came to a screeching halt in the middle of the decade, after a horrific catastrophe on the parallel world. The greatest hero, the Ultimate, was missing and presumed dead, and most of his companions decided to call it quits. The younger generation continued for a while, but most gradually found other things to do with their lives.
The Nineties
After eight years, the Ultimate returned, but after saving Detroit from being totally destroyed (leaving it only mostly destroyed, to be rebuilt over the next decade) he declared that it was time for him to retire as well. The United Nations granted him the sovereign power status he sought, and he settled on an island he raised in international waters. Many people concluded that the day of the supers had passed ... but the first of yet another generation began to make their presence known towards the end of the decade.
The New Millennium
In the last, trying decade, new heroes have begun to emerge, no longer content to maintain a status quo. "We cannot allow the world to be this way," was their rallying cry after the destruction of the Twin Towers, and since then the Alliance and other teams have sought to make a difference to the world, not just fight supervillains and other criminals. How well they have done is open to question ...
The current year is 2012.
(While taking some plot elements and characters from the 5th and 6th editions of Champions, as well as various GURPS game worlds and White Wolf's Scion, this setting should not be confused with any of them.)
Index to Follow
The Thirties
As far as most people are aware, supers first became active in the 1930s. For the most part, they were initially regarded as urban legends and tall tales, but by the end of the decade it was pretty clear to most people that they were real. The first large-scale battle involving multiple supers was fought in 1938, during that year's attempted invasion from Mars.
The Forties
While the supers of America and Britain assisted in morale-boosting efforts and fought spy rings (which were generally usually composed of "wannabes" rather than actual agents of the enemy powers) they never became involved in the fighting. (As far as most people are aware, at least.) Matters were different in occupied territories and in Nazi Germany, where every super who could be found was immediately either executed or used as a weapon in the army. It didn't help matters any -- no matter how powerful they were, the Reich's super-soldiers were neither immortal nor invincible, and were either captured or killed by enemy firepower. Russia, which had no supers of its own, began trying to replicate a number of German "super-soldier" experiments during and after the war, with predictably disturbing results.
The Fifties
The Atom Age saw many of the first generation of supers start to retire, less due to outside pressure than due to simple aging and the fact that there weren't really a lot of threats to face. (Aside from spy rings now composed of "wannabe" Communists.) Threats to have the aging heroes called before the HUAC never panned out, mostly because it was impossible to issue a subpoena for someone whose real name was unknown. This actually had some interesting consequences, and resulted in the current legal status of a costumed identities as a separate person who can be sued and held accountable for his or her actions. Also during this decade, some took note of the increasing extraterrestrial interest in the planet's activities, as well as the increasing frequency of mutation in the populace, and the increasing frequency of horrific magical phenomena...
The Sixties
A burst of new heroes arrived on the scene at the start of the decade, and many of the older ones came back as well, revitalized by contact with their younger counterparts in a parallel universe. But the initial optimism the newer heroes would be sorely tested by the events of the decade to follow. In particular, mutated heroes would discover exceptionally sinister activities undertaken by various factions of the United States government involving them.
The Seventies
Horrific events in both their personal lives and professional ones drove many of the newer heroes into retirement at the start of the decade. The older heroes, however, having been revitalized by various events, kept active, and were joined by some of the first of a new generation. Even they would be rocked, however, when they suffered their first major losses.
The Eighties
In the early years of the decade, more of the children of the first supers became involved in their activities, but that came to a screeching halt in the middle of the decade, after a horrific catastrophe on the parallel world. The greatest hero, the Ultimate, was missing and presumed dead, and most of his companions decided to call it quits. The younger generation continued for a while, but most gradually found other things to do with their lives.
The Nineties
After eight years, the Ultimate returned, but after saving Detroit from being totally destroyed (leaving it only mostly destroyed, to be rebuilt over the next decade) he declared that it was time for him to retire as well. The United Nations granted him the sovereign power status he sought, and he settled on an island he raised in international waters. Many people concluded that the day of the supers had passed ... but the first of yet another generation began to make their presence known towards the end of the decade.
The New Millennium
In the last, trying decade, new heroes have begun to emerge, no longer content to maintain a status quo. "We cannot allow the world to be this way," was their rallying cry after the destruction of the Twin Towers, and since then the Alliance and other teams have sought to make a difference to the world, not just fight supervillains and other criminals. How well they have done is open to question ...
The current year is 2012.
(While taking some plot elements and characters from the 5th and 6th editions of Champions, as well as various GURPS game worlds and White Wolf's Scion, this setting should not be confused with any of them.)
Index to Follow