I have a concept for a super-heroic setting I'd like to shoot by some folks here. I'd planned on running it as a good way to introduce GURPS to my group, and also because when I began to brainstorm the setting, it screamed "GURPS" to me. I'm going to give it in a very compressed, elevator pitch nutshell.
The world is being invaded by a strange, alien presence. They haven't arrived in giant ships or anything, but they are arriving and working to take over the world, in secret (at first). The majority of humankind is utterly unaware of this invasion.
A mysterious figure I'm calling "The Guardian", who's role is kind of self-explanatory, has sensed this invasion and begun to imbue normal humans with power. Feeling that humanity would trust recognizable heroes, he is pulling super heroes out of comic books and media, and imbuing humans with their power and abilities. Being something of an outsider himself, the Guardian is endowing these humans with the powers, knowledge and skill of that hero, and even the personality. The newly endowed hero thinks he or she has been pulled into another world, through unknown means, and rapidly discovers their entire life is serialized in this world!
He's only choosing actual powered super-humans; characters like Punisher would be left out. As well, the Guardian has finite resources, and characters like Superman are endowed with the same pool of power as Spider-man - no Silver Age power levels here. To the point, each character is made with the same pool of points, and here's a good justification for it, as well as a way to lower the power level on some of the more outrageous heros. No villains, anti-heroes (the Guardian is hoping to inspire trust).
Then... the Guardian is killed. Or runs out of power, and something goes wrong. All of those humans he turned into heroes maintain their power, but regain their old sense of self. The man who thought he was Clark Kent suddenly remembers he was actually Ben Flemming, an up and coming journalist. Except now he's got Superman's powers, and memories, and face.
This creates a setting where ordinary people are given super-heroic powers, and there is a dangerous enemy arising that they might be the only ones capable of stopping it. But they aren't two-dimensional heroes. And this is a real world, with real life consequences. They've got families who don't know them anymore, a made up background in their head as well as their own memories, and a distinct knowledge they should be doing something heroic - but no "heroic code" forcing them to do it.
My goal it to make a slightly deconstructionist supers setting, but to focus on what causes people to take up arms against an oppressor. This is a little inspired by the Aberrant game line, but I'm hoping to make it not as darkly cynical as that setting was. I really want the players to play actual canonical heroes, as I think the image of a normal person becoming a household name like Wonder Woman or Hulk is going to be an incredible experience.
So... thoughts? Advice?
The world is being invaded by a strange, alien presence. They haven't arrived in giant ships or anything, but they are arriving and working to take over the world, in secret (at first). The majority of humankind is utterly unaware of this invasion.
A mysterious figure I'm calling "The Guardian", who's role is kind of self-explanatory, has sensed this invasion and begun to imbue normal humans with power. Feeling that humanity would trust recognizable heroes, he is pulling super heroes out of comic books and media, and imbuing humans with their power and abilities. Being something of an outsider himself, the Guardian is endowing these humans with the powers, knowledge and skill of that hero, and even the personality. The newly endowed hero thinks he or she has been pulled into another world, through unknown means, and rapidly discovers their entire life is serialized in this world!
He's only choosing actual powered super-humans; characters like Punisher would be left out. As well, the Guardian has finite resources, and characters like Superman are endowed with the same pool of power as Spider-man - no Silver Age power levels here. To the point, each character is made with the same pool of points, and here's a good justification for it, as well as a way to lower the power level on some of the more outrageous heros. No villains, anti-heroes (the Guardian is hoping to inspire trust).
Then... the Guardian is killed. Or runs out of power, and something goes wrong. All of those humans he turned into heroes maintain their power, but regain their old sense of self. The man who thought he was Clark Kent suddenly remembers he was actually Ben Flemming, an up and coming journalist. Except now he's got Superman's powers, and memories, and face.
This creates a setting where ordinary people are given super-heroic powers, and there is a dangerous enemy arising that they might be the only ones capable of stopping it. But they aren't two-dimensional heroes. And this is a real world, with real life consequences. They've got families who don't know them anymore, a made up background in their head as well as their own memories, and a distinct knowledge they should be doing something heroic - but no "heroic code" forcing them to do it.
My goal it to make a slightly deconstructionist supers setting, but to focus on what causes people to take up arms against an oppressor. This is a little inspired by the Aberrant game line, but I'm hoping to make it not as darkly cynical as that setting was. I really want the players to play actual canonical heroes, as I think the image of a normal person becoming a household name like Wonder Woman or Hulk is going to be an incredible experience.
So... thoughts? Advice?
"Super" Hero Setting Idea
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