Post by cassusaevum on Aug 9, 2019 11:08:00 GMT -5
Tone and Feel
The Heroes
Tone
Themes
Supers and the World
In a Walking Dead fashion, superhero comics do not exist in the world. Other tales of super-powered people from Greek Mythology to Wizarding Worlds to Alain Quartermain and so forth do, but the telling of these kinds of stories through sequential art never took off. “Comics” are still the realm of the funny pages.
As of Issue 1, the existence of so-called "super people" is not common knowledge. It is the realm of conspiracy and internet "hoax" videos. But it has been growing in the social consciousness to the point where the average citizen is starting to wonder if maybe there is something to all the hubbub. There are (and have always been) rumors of secret government (foreign and domestic) programs to create super-soldiers, autonomous death machines, and so forth. There are (and have always been) rumors of alien contact, time travel, and multiple dimensions.
The Heroes
- The heroes are human. The game is about humans struggling with newfound power and trying to find their place in the world. No gods, aliens, ancient beings of cosmic power, etc... People who started out as regular people.
- The heroes are SECRET. No public identities. No "outed" heroes. Everyone has a secret identity. Maybe this evolves or changes in play, but the starting point is SECRET.
- The heroes are team players. The game begins as an origin story about the formation of a team. Lone-wolfs and anti-heroes need not apply.
- The heroes are HEROES. Heroes want to do good. They want to help people. They want to make the world a better place. They may sometimes slip, but ultimately they should be motivated by good. They can (and should) be flawed, but despite their flaws, they want to do what is right.
- The power level of the game will begin somewhere between a "Defenders" and "X-Men" level. What I mean by that is 1 thug is no threat, but a group of thugs can certainly be dangerous and other super-powered individuals will always pose a danger.
- Expected bad guys will include things like street criminals, organized crime, and (of course) super villains around the power level of the characters. There may also be government agents, corporate spies and assassins, and aliens. Their probably won't be nazis riding dinosaurs, but you never know.
- As the characters grow more powerful, they will be exposed to greater threats. Depending on how long the game goes, that might include more Avengers-style world-ending threats.
Tone
- Modern Age with just a little Dark/Bronze mixed in
- Realism but without the focus being on the pure grim/dark/gritty elements
- MCU Guardians is probably too silly and Netflix Punisher too dark, but everything that falls between is "in bounds"
Themes
- Good v. Evil
- Impact of the emergence of super heroes and super villains on the world as we know it
- Difficulty of balancing life in and out of costume
- Heroes as a focus of hope in a dark world
Supers and the World
In a Walking Dead fashion, superhero comics do not exist in the world. Other tales of super-powered people from Greek Mythology to Wizarding Worlds to Alain Quartermain and so forth do, but the telling of these kinds of stories through sequential art never took off. “Comics” are still the realm of the funny pages.
As of Issue 1, the existence of so-called "super people" is not common knowledge. It is the realm of conspiracy and internet "hoax" videos. But it has been growing in the social consciousness to the point where the average citizen is starting to wonder if maybe there is something to all the hubbub. There are (and have always been) rumors of secret government (foreign and domestic) programs to create super-soldiers, autonomous death machines, and so forth. There are (and have always been) rumors of alien contact, time travel, and multiple dimensions.