31 Questions for Barking Alien - Question 3

This question comes from a friend of mine named Conrad, who I sadly haven't gotten the chance to game with in a very long time. 

Check out this 31 Days/31 Characters entry for his Mutants and Masterminds character Black Adder. 

Question #3 from Conrad Cleophat

If I'm creating a game world from scratch, what are some definite things I need to consider putting in?

The tried and true answer for this type of question is to start small and only build what you need. As your campaign expands and your needs grow you can create more of the world and add details. This is a very sensible approach and it does work.

That's not how I do it though.

I take a sort of painter's approach: Start with a blank canvas, cover it in gesso (primer), and then map out your world in broad strokes of color. Each swatch of color represents something about the milieu: Desert, Industry, Evil, etc. From there you can sketch out some generqal shapes of places, add in people, and layout other components that bring will your world to life. 

After all that, you can starting working in the fine details. 

I'm a 'big picture' type guy. When I start making a game world from scratch I automatically begin thinking about the whole world and not just the region the PCs are starting in. Since I don't know where the PCs are going to go and/or what they're to do, it behooves me to establish, at least for myself as the GM, areas beyond the location of the adventure. Instead of starting locally and slowly pulling the camera back to reveal a larger world, I create a larger world and then close up on the PCs, what they're getting up to, and where.

Now to be clear, the players don't know this necessarily. To them, it generally appears that the game opens with only the immediate area being of any importance to them. That's fine. I, as the GM, know its bigger but that isn't revealed to them right away. Usually however, someone wants to know what the next town over is called or what country the adventure takes place in and I can tell.them without skipping a beat. 

The world appears more 'real' this way, right from the get go.

AD

Barking Alien

RPGaDay 2024 - Barking Alien Edition - Day 13

"Impressive. They can make planets."

-Maltz

I consider myself a 'World-Building GM'. 

What does that mean exactly? Well, according to a definition by Merriam-Webster world-building is, 'the creation of a fictional world (especially within the science fiction and fantasy genres) that is believable and consistent within the context of the story'. Solid explanation I'd say. I would add that [good] worldbuilding creates a setting that feels alive as if it exists, or could, in some other time, place, or alternate universe.

As a World-Building GM, creating the setting and breathing life into it is my favorite part of the job. The best part of the TRPG hobby experience overall for yours truly is when one of my players shows interest in some element of the setting and decides to actively investigate it. 

Since I run a lot of Space Adventure Science Fiction, it isn't uncommon for me to create a lot of worlds. A lot of a lot. Consider my Star Trek Adventures campaign Star Trek: Prosperity. This is a bi-weekly campaign with a multi-role Starfleet vessel that visits a planet, spends two or three sessions on that world (on average), and then visits another planet in the next adventure. The campaign is in its 8th year now. Even with holidays, sick days, and other cancellations and skipped sessions we must have gone to literally hundreds of planets by now. 

Now most of these aren't fully fleshed out the way my Medieval Fantasy/Dungeons & Dragons-esque world of Aerth is. Aerth is over 40 years old and has been the setting for roughly a dozen campaigns (likely a little less than a dozen). There are people in the real world who know the layout of the streets of Rae-Uhn, the food of the island-continent of Corindel, and the location of the Cornerstone of the World. The cultures and history of the Elves, Dwarves, Ancient Humans, and even the Dragons have been explored. 

People have 'lived' on Aerth. People will live there again. They will find that past events and the actions of previous Player Characters have had an influence on the people and places that they have interacted with. Likewise, their activities will effect those that come after them. If even one of them remembers this world and their experiences on it fondly later in their real life, I have successfully built a world.

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Barking Alien

BONUS FEATURE: Day 13 of the official RPGaDay 2024 Prompts:

Wow. I actually like this prompt. Fits with mine in a way. Cool. 

I am big on evocative environments. When creating a game world I like to have a few interesting 'set pieces' not matter where the PCs go. These visually distinct environs serve as both background color.and interactive terrain.

Background color translates to the players being able to 'see' where their PCs are and how it informs the atmosphere of a sequence. A cloudy evening with light rain over a vast plain surrounding your small farm invests the scene with loneliness, melancholy, and perhaps a tinge of fear. Soaring high above the shimmering sea on the back o a dragon during a beautiful sunny day generates a very different mood. 

Interactive terrain is an environment the PCs can use or which could be used against them. Think about snowy hills on an icy planet or in the deep winter of medieval europe. There is ice to slip on, banks of snow to hide behind, sliding downhill on your shield as a quick escape, and throwing snowballs makes for a great distraction. 

Anyway, I highly recommend switching up the environment around the PCs to something other than a stony underground corridor or the same old Eurasian forest. Shake it up!

The History of A World - Part II

Continuing my rough history/catalog of major societal events from my current Champions campaign, 'Champions: UNITY'. 

These events take place on Champions Earth-Alpha-Delta-1A, my present take on the campaign setting created by my good friend and the greatest GM I've ever known, William Corpening. His 'Age of Champions' game ran from 1982 to 1993 [if I'm not mistaken] and was set on his original world of Champions Earth-Wilcox Charlie-1.

I was a part of that game during the period William referred to as 'The Age of Chaos', which is the era I will be going over below. In reality, it took place between 1986 and 1989. I've expanded the period and moved up the timeline to enable my current players and I to play in the world with the same events and characters being relevant to the present. 

Note that this isn't even close to all the events that occurred in our old campaign nor in the history of my current one. I have focused on elements that point out the differences between the game world's history and our real world history, especially as it applies to the normal Human populace. There are many things the supers community and secret intelligence community know that the common people don't know. The information here is know to or available to the average person. 

'The Age of Chaos'

1980s-2000s 

The popularity of superheroes reached an all time high during the mid-80s. The number of members of UNITY increases across the globe. While prejudice against aliens continued to mount, the world populace still adored Omni; he was viewed as a calm, well spoken, and rational man and a great leader. 

Superhero products and merchandise such as clothing, action figures, and even breakfast cereal were in great demand, with proceeds going to various charitable organizations. While the heroes themselves had varied opinions on the matter, the people loved it and loved the idea that it supported worthwhile causes. 

'The Maroon Marten', the long running Television Sitcom/Dramedy, celebrated its 200th episode in 1983. While its popularity had gone up and down in the Nielson Ratings over the years, it never left the top ten most watched shows in its time slot. The series centered around a fictional up-and-coming superhero (the titular 'Maroon Marten') and his relationships with family, friends, and next door neighbor/romantic interest while living in LA. Little superheroics were ever seen on camera, with the Maroon Marten or more often his secret identity of Mark Mulligan always heading out to fight crime or just returning from doing so in the show's cold openings. The series won numerous Emmys over its 9 seasons (up to that point) for writing, direction, and both the male and female leads had won Best Actor and Actress. 

The Maroon Marten Television Show Logo Beginning with Season 3

This version was used for the majority of its run.

NBC, the National Broadcasting Company, commemorated the 200th episode with a surprise appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson by none other than the Real Maroon Marten! Yes, the actor who played Mark Mulligan/Maroon Marten, one Paul Baron, shared the stage for the first time with the mysterious real life superhero of the same name who first appeared on the scene thwarting a grocery store robbery in 1976 (around the time of the TV series' second season). This quelled a popular rumor that the two men were the same person. This was clearly disproven when the real Maroon Marten displayed his Super Strength in front of a live audience, lifting a weight neither Paul Baron, Johnny Carson, nor several stagehands could. 

The show remained on the air until 1989. Baron went on to play several dramatic roles on TV and a small but very well received cameo in a Mel Brooks motion picture parodying Supers. The actual Maroon Marten appears to age very slowly and is still active in 2023. In 2022 a new Maroon Marten series made for Streaming aired on Netflix. It did very well and follow up seasons seem likely. 

The creators of the website Superhero Hype were so good at covering superhumans that it almost seemed like they had inside information. They were contacted by UNTIL and it turned out their staff included a number of low level supers. UNTIL decided to hire them to create a channel only members of the superhero community could access. While Superhero Hype is basically an amateur or fan site for the public, the new 'SuperHype' is a professional/industry site 'by superheroes, for superheroes'. There is a lot more to this element of the setting than this but this is what most civilians in the world know. SuperHype eventually evolves into a combo Streaming Service, Social Media Site, and an Information Archive for Superheroes and their international intelligence allies such as UNTIL but not PRIMUS and the other national groups (it is considered a perk of UNTIY membership and is not usually accessible to non-UNITY/Independent superheroes). 

Mann Enterprises, a corporation known for its development of eco-friendly fuel, transportation, and ergonomic product design, wins the exclusive rights to extract resources from the 'Lost World' by a United Nations council on the matter. Mann is awarded this near-monopoly based on the company's long history of environmentally conscious business practices. The key material that Mann extracts from the Lost World is 'Polybioplast': a naturally occurring, thick liquid polymer made from the remains of ancient plants, animals, and bacteria found in the Lost World's unique biosphere. Flexible, extremely durable, and enabling other materials to bond together on a molecular level, Polybioplast allows for the creation of many other incredible alloys and compounds. Mann allows other companies to purchase limited quantities of the substance from them for remarkably reasonable prices given the practically priceless nature of Polybioplast. 

Kineto, the former teenage superhero of the Golden Age turned supervillain, gives a speech while he and his group of super-terrorists battle UNITY in New York. The speech is televised by a number of local and national news outlets. Kineto's message and motivations are clear to the average person for the first time. While the fear many have of him is reinforced or even increased, many others see his point of view. Many superpowered beings, hero and villain alike, are given much to consider. While his team is defeated, Kineto himself escapes. 

Scaramangler Industries creates Impervium, the most indestructible material in the known universe. It is formed by dispersing and recombining the molecular structures of an equal amount of Stellar Titanium, magical Adamantine, and Polybioplast. The resulting metallic alloy substance absorbs and reflects back all energy, including kinetic. If a disc shaped shield were made of Impervium, it could be thrown by a strong normal person but if thrown by someone with super strength it might only travel a short distance, reflecting the force back at the thrower. It definitely couldn't be bounced off people and objects the way Captain America's can. Instead it would hit the target and the target would go flying backward as if it had run into the shield at speed. The British Superhero Crusader gets such a Shield and learns to throw it but again, he can not safely throw it partially far. It should be noted that while very strong and athletic, Crusader is not Super Strong. 

After the kidnapping of his sister, a popular television newscaster, the semi-retired Tachyon activated his powers for the first time since his initial overload of energy appeared to neutralize them. In doing so, two novice superheroes were vaporized by the intense blast while another - an android - was badly damaged. Instantly traveling to the Mediterranean island hideout of the criminal kingpin Mr. Grimm, Tachyon was still too late to save his sister from being murdered by the criminal. Grimm was eventually killed by the superhero Night Force in self defense. Tachyon turns himself in to PRIMUS custody, pleads guilty, and is sent to Stronghold Super Prison where he remains.

The sentient robot supervillain Mechanon, after years of menacing organic life, is finally and permanently defeated by a combination of UNITY New York and UNTIY California (aka The Protectors). It is reported to the public that the key to Mechanon's destruction involved Communication Satellites, Omni's Telemetry power, and Christian Scaramangler's technical genius. This will come up again later. 

An alien superbeing representing 'The Pleiades Imperium' and calling himself Starguard begins operating on Earth, regularly teamed with the members of UNITY's New York group. Little is known about him and his initial relationship with Omni seems more frenemy than staunch ally. Rather quickly, Starguard proves himself every bit the hero and his boisterous attitude and striking appearance make him very popular, especially with young people.

Adamant, a member of Kineto's supervillain inner circle, goes on a drunken rampage through the Rockefeller Center area of New York City. After defeating Starguard in battle, Adamant is confronted by Omni who is able to talk him down without a physical fight. Adamant allows himself to be arrested and get help while in prison. Omni is known to visit him regularly. 

A young boy named Pablo Nestor Nunez, aka 'Neutronium Boy', ran away from home in an attempt to reach the Scaramangler Foundation building in New York City. Young Pablo had discovered he had a Mutant Power he couldn't control and sought the Foundation for help. During his 6 hour struggle to get to his destination, the boy's body transformed, slowly at first and more rapidly as he became stressed, into a being made of extremely dense, heavy, neutron-degenerate matter. Using a payphone, Nunez was able to contact the Scaramangler Foundation for help but he was lost and scared, unable to pinpoint his location. The Foundation contacted UNITY for help.

As UNITY searched for the boy with police assistance, Nunez found himself pursued by a group of supervillains hoping to use him or his power in some way. Eventually, the available UNITY members engaged the villains as Nunez's transformation into 'Neutronium' made it virtually impossible for him to move. At just over 4 feet in height the boy weighed hundreds of tons. The dull metallic material covering him went over his joints making it even harder for him to continue. In the end, Pablo reached the front 'courtyard' of the Scaramangler Building as no more than an inert rock. 

Omni was there, holding the boy until Nunez no longer showed any signs of life (confirmed by Omni's Telepathy). Following funeral services, a statue and plaque honoring Nunez was permanently installed in front of the Scaramangler Foundation Building on nearly the exact spot where Nunez ended his journey.

The front of the Scaramangler Foundation Building in New York City

featuring the statue of Neutronium Boy. May he rest in peace.

2001-2020s

The world at large becomes acutely aware of the existence of Parallel Earths when the villains of three different ones - ours and two others - combine forces to merge the planets into one. The resulting Earth would have 7 billion people. Since that was the rough population of each world, it was understood that 14 billion would die. The heroes of Champions Earth-AD-1, Challengers Earth-Mu-AD1, and Champion League Earth-Delta Ceti-AD1 united to save the three variant planets in what would come to be known as 'The Dark Trinity Event'. In the aftermath of the incident, some heroes and villains were trapped on the wrong Earths, with travel between dimensions now far more difficult than ever before. 

Payphones, still in operation across most of the world, got a major upgrade at this time thanks to Scaramangler Industries. Benefiting from S-Phone and improved satellite technology,  the modern payphones were built into ATM-like kiosks that provide internet access and one button emergency services contact. This includes the ability to alert one's local Superhero Team/UNITY base. Emergency service calls are free. All other uses can be paid for by cash/coinage, credit card, or charged to your home or business communications provider. 

S-Payphone by S-COMM

A Telecommunications Subsidiary of

Scaramangler Industries

A US Covert Operation in the Middle East goes incredibly poorly when the target turns out to be protected by superhuman bodyguards. UNTIL and UNITY are sent in to rescue the American operatives but encounter a team of Black Ops Supers working for PRIMUS. After a team-up between UNITY and the PRIMUS group, First S.T.R.I.K.E., several members of the latter turn on and attack the former. One member, Overload, switches sides to help UNITY while nearly all the rest are arrested after a short but intense battle. Unfortunately, a First STRIKE operative code-named 'Inkblot' goes absolutely insane, killing several PRIMUS and UNTIL agents before ultimately escaping. Sometime after returning to the US, Overload is cleared and joins UNITY. 

Christian Scaramangler went missing and a series of attacks against UNITY New York followed, largely undertaken by a variety of extremely advanced and powerful robots. When Scaramangler reappeared he claimed he'd been the captive of technologically superior alien entity he did not recognize. 

Adamant, aka Adam Kennison, is released from prison on probation due to good behavior and into the custody of Omni. The two have become friends and Omni takes a personal interest in Adam's rehabilitation. Adam get's a normal job and works hard to his villainous past behind him. 

A number of world-threatening situations occurred in the 1990s that the public had no knowledge of. This obviously occurred throughout history but this period saw both a large number and scenarios with massive scope and consequences. 

Damage during a battle with supervillains reveals Christian Scaramangler to be an android! It is assumed he had been so since his disappearance/abduction a year prior. See above. In a very public battle, the False Scaramangler is seen engaged in combat with several members of UNITY New York, fighting them to a standstill.

The alien hero Starguard challenged the pseudo-Scaramangler to Pleiadean Ritual Combat. The Android refused at first, until Starguard threatened to call upon the entirety of his team The Protectors of Pleiades. At that point the Android and Starguard announced their one-on-one fight would be on Earth's moon 12 hours later.

In the interim time, investigations revealed that the Android had been behind several crimes and responsible for numerous attacks against Omni and Starguard, as well as others, since the imposter 'returned' from his supposed capture. A long time friend of the real Christian Scaramangler who had benefited from the Scaramangler Foundation, John Gideon, decided to join UNITY until the false-Scaramangler situation could be resolved. Under the code-name 'Sword of Gideon', John aided the New York team by handling local, low-to-medium scale threats.

Starguard managed to destroy the Scaramangler Android...or so he thought. It returned several times after this battle in different bodies, all utilizing Scaramangler's advanced technology. The entity was eventually discovered to be using an upgraded version of Mechanon's 'Consciousness Transfer' system to 'survive' each fight. See way above. Once they knew this, Omni and the other UNITY heroes were able to permanently eliminate this villain in a similar way to their defeat of the Mechanon robot. Exactly who they were was not uncovered. The real Christian Scaramangler was never recovered and was presumed dead.  

The Invasion: Earth War which ended 6 months prior to the start of my current campaign is considered one of the biggest milestone's in the history of Champions Earth-AD-1. It began with a fleet of alien spacecraft attacking and landing their troops at various coast cities and islands all over the world. UNTIL and UNITY mobilized immediately, showing the benefits of a such a network. In spite of Earth's efforts, the invaders were able to siege and hold several locations. Sadly, these actions only constituted the first wave. 

A second and much larger fleet arrived soon after, once again descending upon coastal regions, islands, and even areas of open ocean. It would be revealed that three out of the five alien races unified in attacking the Earth - the Gadroon, Hzeel, Qularr, Roin'Esh, and Vilarians,  - were amphibious or largely aquatic. Once this was determined, UNTIL and the United Nations coordinated with the seagoing Navies of its member countries. Navy and Coast Guard personnel became extremely important during the conflict but also suffered the most casualties. Aquatic superheroes weren't numerous so UNITY's strategy in many cases was to draw their opponents inland. A side effect of this approach was that many local/regional superheroes who weren't UNITY members were able to join in. It should be noted that only a handful of Roin'Esh were involved, making no claim to be representative of their species as a whole. 

The Invasion: Earth Alliance: Gadroon, Hzeel, Qularr, Roin'Esh, and Vilarians

Within 24 hours the entire world, Human and Superhuman alike, were united in defending the planet Earth. Many supervillains joined in to help defeat the invaders as well. Most notable were members of CLOWN, Doctor Silverback, Kineto, and Mr. Fiacho and EuroStrike. Adam Kennison, formerly the villain Adamant, teams up with UNITY members to fight the enemy as well. Meanwhile, Omni, Starguard, and a small team of other supers left the planet in an attempt to negotiate for some assistance from the Pleiades Imperium and Mandaarian Republic. The Mandaarians are Omni's people. 

After an intense three day conflict with many lives lost on both sides, the alien invasion forces surrendered to the United Nations of Earth. Our victory was largely thanks to the efforts of Humanity and its allies, as well as reinforcements from the Mandaarians and Pleiadeans, including the alien superteam The Protectors of Pleiades.  

Following the Invasion: Earth War, the Mandaarian Republic and Pleiades Imperium signed a pact to mutually protect but not otherwise interfere with the planet Earth. Omni spent 3 months reworking the Mandaarian government and negotiating a more lasting peace between it and the Pleiades Imperial government. 

A section of Central Park in New York City was dubbed Heroes Row and dedicated to super and non-super heroes who'd fallen in the war. Numerous statues were added depicting those who perished. Christian Scaramangler receives a stature at the Scaramangler Foundation Building. John Gideon retires his Sword of Gideon superhero identity and becomes Chief of Security Operations for the entire Foundation. 

The overall attitude towards alien beings became far more diversified and nuanced. The Invasion so many had feared had happened but extraterrestrial allies helped win the day. Generally speaking, aliens were now viewed as just people from far away. 

Whoo! That was A LOT. I hope I didn't overdo it.

Did you all like these posts? Please let me know in the comments. 

We'll talk soon,

AD

Barking Alien

 

The History of A World - Part I

Today is July 4th - Happy Independence Day to my fellow citizens of the USA! 

Today seems like a great day to talk about history.

Specifically, the fictional history of the Superheroic setting of my current Champions RPG campaign 'UNITY', based on my friend William Corpening's seminal 'Age of Champions' game. Essentially, this is my present take on Will's Champions Earth-Wilcox Charlie-1. 

This variant on Will's universe is centered on Champions Earth-Alpha Delta-1A and the campaign Champions: UNITY, now over a year old, is probably my third distinct version of that milieu. 

I've always been enamored with the idea that this isn't just a Super Hero universe but a clearly Alternate Earth Super Hero universe. It's history and nature is not the same as that of our real world. Here is an overview and some highlighted differences between our own world and the one in our game. 

What follows is information known to, or at least available to, the average civilian on Champions Earth-Alpha Delta-1A. For the most part I am leaving out Superhero specific events - first appearances, battles, etc. - unless those events have a direct effect on society-at-large and the prevailing culture(s) of the Earth. References to things that the superhuman community and/or the players would know but the average world citizen wouldn't will be highlighted in pale green. 

Prehistoric

Roughly 66 million years ago, an asteroid/meteor impact altered the Earth's climate and sent a cloud of debris into its atmosphere that caused a mass extinction event, eventually eliminating 3/4 of the species on the planet (including the dinosaurs). 

It has been suggested that tied to this event was a cosmic phenomenon that eventually resulted in the world's Superpowered population. Specifics on this anomaly remain a mystery and investigation continues. 

An as yet not understood geological/seismic situation created a section of sub-surface Antarctica preserving prehistoric conditions and numerous dinosaur species in a region now known as 'The Lost World'.

Ancient World

The continent of Atlantis is destroyed by geological upheaval. A large number of it's inhabitants are saved through the use of magic, transforming them into a variety of sub-oceanic forms. 

A dissident group of alien refugees, previously of the Vilarian species, land their colony ship at the bottom of what is Earth's Atlantic Ocean today. The highly technologically advanced Vilarians kick the Atlanteans out of their homes and the latter are forced to resettle in a section of the former Atlantean continent they call Lemuria. Today's Atlanteans are descendants of the alien Vilarians and the former 'true Atlanteans' are now known as Lemurians. 

A conflict between the world's Magical entities and practitioners creates a barrier between the realms of the 'Divine', 'Infernal', and 'Arcane' that prevent access to and from the realms of the 'gods', demons, angels, and other supernatural beings. Up to the present day, no one can visit Asgard, Olympus, and other such places. Likewise, none of the gods or goddesses of myth can come to Earth. Note that while most people do not wholly believe this story, it is a common tale told in different variations in countries all over the world. It is as popular and well known as tales of Santa Claus. 

The Modern World up to the 21st Century

The general level of scientific and technological advancement on Champions Earth-AD-1A is higher than that of the real world due to the number of individuals with Superhuman Intelligence and the corporations/organizations they created. This starts to really impact the everyday life of the average person following the second World War.

1920s-1940s 'The Golden Age'

Masked heroes and villains first appear in the 20s and 30s, though rumors and folktales go back as far as the late 1880s. Most are local to particular cities with a few globetrotting types. For the most part the whole thing is chalked up to here say and urban legend, although there is great excitement over these stories among the populations of the US, Canada, and Europe. Referred to as 'Pulp Heroes and Villains', the terms Superhero, Supervillain, superbeing, and superpowers do not enter common parlance. The majority of these individuals do not have metahuman abilities but are rather people of remarkable skill. 

A group of Extraterrestrial War Machines came to Earth as the prelude to an invasion. Starting with the first craft landing at Grover Mill, New Jersey - October 30, 1938 - the alien crafts immediately began attacking locals with devastating weaponry, even though said locals attempted to make peaceful contact. Over the course of several hours, the invaders waded through conventional military responses to their presence. It wasn't until one of the aliens disembarked from their vehicle and discovered an extreme allergy to Earth's biosphere that the Humans realized their opponents were far from invincible. 

The incident was broadcast live over the radio, announced by a Orson Welles. The events and their similarity to the H.G. Wells novel 'War of the Worlds' began what would eventually develop into a massive, worldwide fear and hatred of aliens. 

The first confirmed, widely acknowledged appearances of what we identify as Superheroes and Supervillains today begins in the late 30s and early 40s, leading into and increasing with the onset of World War II: Costumed, masked individuals with powers and abilities beyond those of normal Humans. While such people may have existed before this, the more common use of telephones, cameras, and film enabled definitive documentation of their presence. 

The Axis Powers were rumored to have a mad scientist working for them who had given himself superpowers through the use of a terrible serum. He and others like him invented incredible weapons of war to use against the Allied forces. This situation prompts the Allies to assemble a team of the superpowered soldiers to fight the enemy; The Allied Champions become the first official Superhero Team known to exist by the general public. 

Supporting the Allied Champions was a newly created division of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) called the Paranormal Research and Intelligence Mission to the United States or PRIMUS. PRIMUS remains active to this day.  

1940s-1960s

Scientific advancements in the areas of chemistry, medical procedures and technology, physics, and other fields are greater advanced by the Allies' own Doctor Jean-Louise Jeanis (aka Dr. Genius) and information recovered from Axis research. Among the data recovered from the enemy was the 'Destroyer Formula', a Super-Soldier Serum with dangerous, even deadly side effects. Shared with all the Allies, the USA reworked the concoction into the 'Avenger Formula', eventually resulting in the first government created Superhero, The Golden Avenger. 

Following World War II, the United Nations was established to promote and maintain peaceful relations between its member countries. Due to a series of political conflicts between the 1950s and 1970s, some of which involved Superhumans, the United Nations was given increased powers to govern and moderate international interactions and security concerns.

In the late 50s or early 60s, the UN established the United Nations Tactical Intelligence League - UNTIL - a worldwide espionage, law enforcement, relief and rescue, and counter-terrorism agency. A large part of UNTIL's charter gives them jurisdiction over international Superhuman incidents and situations between the special security organizations of its member nations. Basically, if America's SHIELD, called PRIMUS, and the USSR's SHIELD, called Condition: RED, have a disagreement, UNTIL has the right to step in and facilitate a resolution. 

The Roswell Incident, a US government operation to recover a military weather balloon is mistaken for the crash of an alien spacecraft. The situation sparked numerous UFO and extraterrestrial conspiracy theories. Following additional investigations by independent organizations, including the questionable Extra-Solar Society, it was successfully revealed that aliens of were indeed involved. This cast doubt on government transparency and further fueled distrust of aliens.

The Dodgers never left Brooklyn and continue to play at a remodeled Ebbets Field. The Mets do not exist. New York's baseball teams are the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees (aka The Bronx Bombers). 

The world's leading airline for international transportation of both people and cargo is Pan American World Airways. Their headquarters, the Pan Am Building, is located at 200 Park Avenue in New York City, NY. In reality, the Pan Am building, completed in 1962 and having a very distinctive elongated, octagonal design, was sold to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and renamed the MetLife Building in 1981.

Logo of Pan American World Airways

The Pan Am Building

The Civil Rights Movement is both further embattled and emboldened when superbeings on both sides of the divide become involved, inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and others. At the same time, the actions and words of a number of popular superheroes directed peoples attention back to the speeches of key leader of the movement. The aftermath of this era is better in the Champions universe than it was in our own real world. Champions Earth-AD-1 is more racially accepting and balanced than our Earth is. Sadly. 

1960s-1970s 'The Silver Age'

AT&T launches the first commercial orbital satellite in 1962. In the following 5 years the number of satellites in orbit reaches over a dozen with the level of technical advancement nearly three times that of AT&T's Telstar 1.

The Scaramangler Foundation was established in the early-to-mid 1960s, providing assistance, emergency aid, housing, training, and other vital services to super powered individuals and their families. This organization was founded by Reverend Joseph Scaramangler in hopes of helping those who develop super powers without the ability to control them. Scaramangler was further inspired by his own son, a super genius intellect who designed most of the technology used by the Foundation beginning at the age of about 6.

The non-profit group is mainly paid for by it's 'sister entity' (keep reading) through the development and 'sale' of devices used by the various governments of the world to deal with Supers. A for-profit corporation called Scaramangler Industries builds tech such as superhuman containment cells, defense robots, and 'Danger Room' training facilities for various Superhero teams and security agencies like UNTIL, PRIMUS, and others worldwide. 

Scaramangler Industries has also developed advancements in personal communications and computing resulting in things like the 'S-Phone', the extremely popular and common cellular phone nearly everyone has today (which includes augmented reality, interactive holographic capabilities) (See below in the Bronze Age). 

At present, the Scaramangler Foundation is headquartered in NYC with facilities in nearly 100 countries across the planet. 

Logo of the Scaramangler Foundation

1970s-1980s 'The Bronze Age'

The United States of America landed on the Moon (officially called Luna) on July 20th, 1969. The Soviet Union landed their module in 1973. A European Union lander touched down in 1975. By 1982 the USA and EU had permanent Scientific Research bases. The United Soviet States Republic established their base by '84. China landed and established their base in '86.

At present, 2023, there are five major bases, another dozen smaller operations and outposts, and a total population of roughly 5000 consistent Human residents on the Moon. There are also 3 Space Stations in Earth orbit, including the massive International Space Station that serves as a hub for numerous spacecraft from a dozen different countries and at least a half dozen corporations.

Earth's orbital satellite network(s) received an overhaul by Scaramangler Industries and Mann Enterprises under contracts from the United Nations and various telecommunications corporations. 

The Stonewall Riots and Gay Rights Movement that began in 1969 and moved onward from the early 1970s involved a number of superhuman personalities, the most notable of which were previously labeled 'Supervillains'. Three particular individuals, Passion Storm, The Rainbow Archer ( I ), and the Red Rapier, were both extremely outspoken and made a large cultural impact that did a lot of good in the long run. Sadly, all three men experienced disappointing to downright tragic lives post the 1980s. Images associated with the three - especially Passion Storm's emblem and the Rainbow Archer's bow and arrows are symbols still used by LGBTQ+ advocates today. 

Passion Storm's emblem and the symbol of the first Rainbow Archer

While in the real world mass production and widespread use of the modern cellular phone started in the 1990s, the S-Phone goes into production sometime near the start of the 1980s. Inspired by the ubiquitous 'Communicators' in most Comic Books and Sci-Fi movies and television shows, Will predicted the cell phone by suggesting all the UNITY members had a Communicator and most regular folks had a lesser 'civilian' version.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the USA's 40th President. He served two consecutive terms from 1981 to 1989. During his time in office, the USA adds two new states to its membership and two new stars on its flag. The Washington District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are fully recognized states on Champions Earth-AD-1A.

Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the nation's dissolution and re-organization in 1987, is greatly inspired by dealings with President King to make reforms in his own country. Gorbachev became the first president of the democratic United Soviet States Republic, established following the end of the Soviet Union.

Left: The Flag of the United States of America (note the 52 stars),

Right: The Flag of the United Soviet States Republic (stars represent its 24 republics/states)

In the early 1980s the 'Silver Age' incarnation of the world's leading superhero team, The Champions, disbands after a disastrous mission against the villains Kineto and Sundown. The incident saw the hero Garrison quit the Champions prior to the event, the death of team leader Tower, and the neutralizing of the powers of member Tachyon (after his abilities overloaded while helping to save New York City.).

Following this, public and political opinion on superheroes waned considerably. The prevailing view was that they were unreliable compared to security agencies such as UNTIL or PRIMUS and/or more trouble than they were worth. While a few superheroes remained active in New York, no full time team protected the region. During this same period, California's Protectors operated with only four or five members, the British superteam 'The New Knights of the Round Table' were reduced to three active members and it seemed the entire international superhero community was smaller overall and poorly organized.

Responding to this situation, UNTIL contacted the superhero Omni - a former member of The Champions - with an idea for an emergency response network that could get superheroes to the places they needed to be as quickly and efficiently as possible. Omni liked the idea a lot and had a number of suggestions on how to improve on the basic concept. The end result, officially established in 1985, was christened UNITY. UNITY members can be contacted by UNTIL rapid response specialists and assigned to situations in need of superhero attention. Supers would be directed to emergency situation based on their location, abilities, familiarity with what is happening, and other factors. "The right hero, to the right place, at the right time", said Omni at the UNITY unveiling event. Omni convinced former superhero and teammate Tachyon (whose was still thought of positively by most people) to serve as UNITY's Public Relations agent. 

The internet, originally called the World Wide Web Network - often nicknamed 'the Web' or 'the Net' - goes online in a format similar to but somewhat more limited than what we have in the real world today. A popular website dubbing itself 'Superhero Hype' collects and covers superhuman activity and related news in the USA. 

The positive image bolstered by Tachyon and the remarkable success of UNITY's operations over the next five years completely reversed society's view of superheroes, once again making them a trusted and desirable institution. 

Two aliens of the Hzeel species on a scouting mission to Earth kidnap Joseph Scaramangler as insurance against Superhero retaliation once their presence was discovered. Tragically, Scaramangler was accidentally killed during an attempted rescue operation by PRIMUS. Joseph's son Christian, generally a recluse, enters the public eye as the new head of the Scaramangler Foundation and joins the Superheroes of UNITY using prototype technology of his own design. Christian Scaramangler is very charismatic and popular and subtly pushes an anti-alien rhetoric even as Omni, leader of New York's UNITY group, is promoted to being the Director of Operations for UNITY as a whole. 

I'm going to stop here for now and consider this Part I. Expect to see Part II very soon. 

What do you all think? Any interest in this?

It was fun for me to write this all down this way. Much of it comes from material I either wrote out in a greatly expanded fashion long ago or I've never put it to paper. A lot of it was just stuff I've kept rolling around in the back of my mind for some 35+ years.

Anyway. To Be Continued...

Happy Birthday USA!

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Barking Alien

Challenging Influences

According to Dyvers, the legend goes that waaay back in 2008 (one year before I began this blog) James Raggi*, of Lamentations of the Flame Princess fame (or infamy, depending upon your perspective), suggested RPG bloggers ". . . name the primary influences in your personal game, so we get a flavor not of what set of rules you decide to use, but what kind of game people can expect to play with you! Minimum five. No maximum. Plus include what people might assume influences you that you actually reject . . ." (Media Influences). 

Honestly this sounds fun but it also gives me this strong feeling of deja vu. Since Raggi posted the original challenge prior to the existence of Barking Alien, I couldn't have completed this challenge already. Could I?

Cue Twilight Zone music...

Before I get started, I want to make one unclear thing perfectly clear...

Raggi calls the post 'Media Influences' and than goes on to say in his post:

"So much has been said about the literary influences of D&D.

Now that's all great for the theorists, historians, pundits, and commentators.

But what about the influences of the individual campaign?"

OK...do these individual campaign influences not include literary ones? 'Cause among those listed by Mr. Raggi are Edgar Allen Poe, HP Lovecraft, Jules Verne, and HG Wells. I believe those gentlemen, and correct me if I am wrong, are writers.

 

Perhaps what he means to say is, "What are the influences on your individual campaigns, and not the game systems used to run them, literary or otherwise."

 

Perhaps.

 

Since the whole 'Media Influences' phrase just weirds me the hell out I'm going to go with those individuals who influence my gaming style and aren't novelists. Influences from non-written media if you will, even if some of these gentlemen were writers to some degree or other.

Hmmm...something of note:

I was an avid reader, even at the age of 8, when I first began playing RPGs. I was extremely advanced in my reading level and by 6th grade could easily read books meant for high school students. I read The Hobbit at 8 or 9, Lord of the Rings by 10 or 11 and Dune, Ringworld, and Foundation all before I was 14.

That said, I think one of the reasons I differ so much in my thinking from most of my gaming hobby brethren is that none of the written works I have processed and enjoyed have as much to do with the way I game as what I learned from the people I am about to mention.

OK, whew...On to my list!

 

Mel Brooks and P. T. Barum

I pride myself on my timing and ability to not just weave a tale, but to entertain. I like to keep the players guessing, their minds (and mine) moving and the whole thing flowing like the best movies, plays and TV shows.

Aside from being a comedic genius, Mel Brooks in a great director in a technical sense, in my opinion. He paces his movies well, and he gives each of the characters moments to shine, even if they're inept, or rather minor to the story. The audience (that's us), are never distracted by this. It is simply woven into the whole of the film. We enjoy taking a breather for a moment here, and there. We have some laughs, and then get back to the meat of things a few beats later. I've not just watched Mel Brooks' films, I've studied them. Comedy or serious business, you can learn a lot about timing and atmosphere watching Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and the Producers.

P.T. Barnum was a master in the arts of business, entertainment and distraction. I look to him as a major influence on how to use preconceptions, confusion and general mayhem to my advantage. It is from Barnum that I developed my practice of giving players a lot of information, though certainly not everything they need, and not all of it true. Fascinating fellow, and far more talented than most people realize. He was a writer, a politician, a salesman, an actor, a teacher and an architect. Did you know he designed the graveyard where he was finally buried at the age of 81?

Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas

I started gaming with D&D at the age of 8 in 1977. While I instantly fell in love with the game, as I have mentioned many times in the past, traditional Medieval Fantasy and Sword & Sorcery were far from my favorite genres.

By the Summer of '77 I was already a both a Trekkie and a Star Wars fanatic. I loved both and my naturally nerdy noodle absorbed as much information on the ships, aliens, planets, items and what-have-you as I could. It was through this that I learned about world-building. The kind of world building I do is directly related to the type of world building these two men did. Key element; don't try to build a world, let one happen, but don't let it happen by mistake.

Fans of all sorts will tell you that Lucas had written parts of the episodes 1-3 and perhaps even 7-9 a long while before he filmed Star Wars: A New Hope. Poppycock and rubbish. He may have jotted down some notes and he may have had some ideas, but he did not map out his universe the way we like to think he did (or the way we the fans and those professionals who work on the expanded universe have). No, he added as he went, tried to be true to what he said already, unless he thought his new idea was better, and if he felt it was, came up with a reason the previous info was incorrect.

"Did I say killed your father? I did? I meant 'is'. 'Is' your father. I mean, he did metaphorically 'die' and a new persona took over who wasn't like his old self so I guess 'killed' does make sense. So, yeah, if you look at it that way I told you the truth from the very beginning."

-Obi Wan Kenobi, paraphrased by your truly.

A certain point of view indeed.

Roddenberry's universe worked much the same way, but he had to deal with different writers adding their own material in and a network that wanted to see certain things in order to justify the budget. Still and all, Roddenberry did an amazing job of keeping it all together. As time marched forward and the Next Generation was built on top of the foundation that the Original Series laid down, Gene tried very hard to maintain the continuity as best they could. He understood that there were fans already out there and that they cared about that sort of thing.

So do I. So do my players. The end result is that I try to follow a combination of the approaches above. Have a basic idea of what you're doing and what you want to do,  always add new material, a little at a time preferably, and always leave enough room for error. Should error occur, don't hide it and don't apologize for it. Come up with a reason for it to be a misconception, not an error.

Jim Henson

What do I even say about Jim Henson's influence? How do I put it into words? So many of the things I do, from the voices of NPCs to the way I see scenes unfold can be attributed back to this man and his incredible mind, heart and vision. For me he is the source of my 'controlled chaos' skills. Split the party? No problem. Crazy scheme to escape? No problem. Player character dogs, pigs, chickens and liquid life forms from the planet Koozbane? No problem. It's all good, thanks to Jim.

Other major influences I should mention but don't really have time to fully go into detail on include:

Comic Book Artists John Byrne, Adam Hughes, George Perez, Alex Ross, Adam Warren and the late Mike Wieringo.

Comic Book Writers Paul Dini, Paul Levitz, Dennis O'Neil, Roy Thomas and Marv Wolfman.

Directors Francis Ford Coppola, Blake Edwards, Terry Gilliam, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

Actors and Comedians Dan Aykroyd, William 'Bud' Abbott and Lou Costello, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Steve Martin, The Marx Brothers, Steve McQueen, Bill Murray, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Reeve, Burt Reynolds, Peter Sellers, Lily Tomlin, Gene Wilder and Robin Williams.

Musicians and Singers America, The Beatles, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Jethro Tull, Billy Joel, Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Queen,  The Monkees, Procol Harum, Three Dog Night and many others.

 
I could go on and on, but suffice to say, these are the major ones and those less prominent ones that popped into my head without having to think on them.

And not a one specifically a writer of genre fiction in book form.

Challenge Completed.

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Barking Alien

 

*James Raggi is not a name you'll see a lot on this blog. I do not know him personally and have only crossed his path once or twice while commenting on some other blog. His products are well down and he certainly knows his stuff. That 'stuff' being a certain style and subject of story and gaming that I don't care for all that much. To each their own of course.

The only product of his I read through in its entirety was the module 'Death Frost Doom'. I found it to be largely unmemorable. Just could not get into it.