Aberrant RPG - Changes to aberrant back story, input welcome

[Gribble_the_Munchkin]

Hello All

Long time lurker turned first time poster here.

I'm running an aberrant game atm with several major differences.

1) i wanted a gritty, "real world + superpowers" rather than 4 colour, spandex superheroes game and so its set in New York, in the now with a group of relatively random civilians erupting.

2) the trigger event for the eruption was a massive quantum burst from a device created by a certain Prof Clive Hammersmith (heavily ripped off from adventure obviously). This effectively replaces the Galatea explosion.

3) Divis Mal, the Aeon Society, Max Mercer, etc do not exist. The only "changed people" in the game are the 3 PCs, 1 good guy NPC and 4 baddie NPCs that were attempting to steal the machine at the time of the quantum burst.

The good guy NPC has only one quantum ability but its a beaut. He sees emotionally charged death, even that which is occuring way off in the future. He is a plot hook basically to get my players being all heroic.

Now, there are no more aberrants in game. yet. there may be more in the future if Hammersmith (who didn't disappear this time) repeats his experiment.

Now the bit i would like some input on is this. In the absence of the Aeon society to step in with a prepared plan, hoew would the world react to people with clearly super powers. Of the 3 PCs, one can turn herself into Diamond making her virtually indestructible, one is basically a low powered superman, e.g. super strenght, speed, dex, laser eyes, mega int and flight. And the third has a variety of telekinesis powers, e.g. telekinesis, warp, forcefield, flight.

Due to a series of heroic actions the players have been caught on camera doing very heroic things, e.g. foiling a murder/robbery, defusing a hostage crisis, saving folks from a burning oil rig and a landslide, etc.

What do you reckon the public and those in power would do? I've not introduced the bad guys yet so the only super powered people on the scene have been saving lives and such.

I'm enjoying the low key nature of the game so far, nothing outside New York yet, characters still finding out about their powers and still a little scared, Hammersmith running every test known to man on them, etc.

I'm trying to think what would happen if i saw on TV super powered people. What would global governments do? What would the UN do? What would YOU do?

[Heru]

I figure with the local nature of their activites being what it is that they would be much more respected by the people. As you said, the saved lives, protected businesses, helped little old ladies cross the street (just kidding, buts in the same vein). They helped the local people and the local people will probably thank them for it.

The same thing with the local city government. New York will probably see them as local heroes that are safe enough. And since you only have shown the good guys sofar the people will always remember that they were saved first.

The national government of the US might try to contact them and boost them into government service. I doubt it would be forced due to thier presence at the local level, but it could be great PR move. The UN might try and get their aid in some way or another, as would some local companies.

Basicly, anything that has a local presence (and since this is NY that is a lot of agencies, governments and the like) would try to recruit them.

Other nations in the world would be hard pressed to try and gain them considered that they are all Americans (or at least that is the gist of what I got from your post). I figure its only when 'novas' start developing in other nations and other parts of the world that a more global awakening would develop.

Hope this helps.

[Alex Green]

WELCOME Gribble!!!

Much of the general public would think it's a PR stunt. Much of the general public already believes in super powers via the various fake mentalists and mediums that are running around.

So... no general panic, especially if it's limited to just a few people.

Various people might try to take "the technology" involved. Others wold try to exploit them... and I'm not saying this in a bad way. The way our economic system works, a true Healer really could charge millions of dollars, and her agent would get a piece of that. The Government might try to convince them to work for them in one way or another.

But it's not illegal to NOT work for the Gov. There are no laws that require fish to breath water, the issue has never come up.

[metaphysician]

. . .you feel that Aberrant is *not* grim and gritty, and needs to be changed thus to make it so?!

::blink

[Chuckg]

1) i wanted a gritty, "real world + superpowers" rather than 4 colour, spandex superheroes game

I thought that's how Aberrant came out of the box.

[Ammonites]

I for one would be freaking out (in a good way), at least for the first few weeks. ::biggrin

But, I think in the same vein as abberrant they would become instant celebrities. Endorsement deals...

Of course the ramifications of this transpiring are immense. I think it would be a earth shaking event in history. The government would want to recreate the event, if they could figure out what caused these people to develop the powers.

I think your idea is great, wish I could participate in a game here.

[Gribble_the_Munchkin]

. . .you feel that Aberrant is *not* grim and gritty, and needs to be changed thus to make it so?!

I should clarify. The things i wanted to avoid were things like the "demigod" aberrants, Mal, Pax, Antaeus, etc, along with the New Eden that is Addis Ababa, global ecological clean up and such like. I wanted it to be Real world rather than aberrant world.

I'm a long time WW player/GM, and the grittiness is one of the main attractions. Aberrant has that level of grit, the various sneaky factions, exploitation, money making and all the grubby little stuff that makes it feel real, i just wanted to start at ground zero.

In the Aberrant background the massive panic and turmoil that super powered people would cause is very rapidly headed off and handled down to a manageable level by the Aeon Society via Project Utopia. I'm interested in the kind of maelstrom that would be unleashed with fewer super people, but no management, at least in the beginning.

I'm hoping that my players decide to do something about this and maybe try and sort some kind of Utopia-esque group out, even if they are only the figureheads. It'll be fun to see how they handle the chaos as the first super people on the scene.

I already have plans for a much stronger Church of Archangel Michael. I see the real world right wing christian movement getting behind it in a BIG way. Should make them a REAL threat to novas.

[metaphysician]

Meh, CoMA and "antimutant hatred" in general are my least favorite elements in a supers setting. Even Aberrant: most of the factions hostile to nova-kind at least have a philosophy more consistent and interesting than the "Hey, look, a nova just rescued a kitten from a tree. Kill him!" nutsos.

[Ammonites]

While CoMA are a bunch of wackos, their hatred stems from the fact that the existance of Novas brings into question their belief system.

At least thats my interpretation of it.

[Alex Green]

RE: Anti-mutants

I don't think the average person is anti-mutant... but... but in some ways I think Marvel understates how bad it would be.

People feel deeply about evolution, and about religioin. For mutants/novas to show up means their believes are either wrong, or they aren't the choosen people. That's not going to sit right with some people.

That's right out the door, before worring about taint, people abusing their powers, and fear of the same. It's real easy to see mutant children being socially isolated growing up. That's going to tend to create supervillians. It's impossible to see super villians being tollerated.

Anita Blake's universe has that part right, if you have powers, and you break the law with your powers, then you die. Vampires and other superfolk get killed after arrest because they are dangerous. Sabertooth, Magnetoe, many, many other examples, why exactly are these people allowed to live after they are caught?

[Gribble_the_Munchkin]

I don't think the average person is anti-mutant... but... but in some ways I think Marvel understates how bad it would be.

People feel deeply about evolution, and about religioin. For mutants/novas to show up means their believes are either wrong, or they aren't the choosen people. That's not going to sit right with some people.

I agree completely. You only have to look at real world history to see how humans, especially when in poverty, latch on to an us and them philosophy. Look at the anti-semitic "Jews rule the world" themes in the 1920/30s, or the Red Scare of the McCarthy era. Or even now with the hysteria about terrorism.

The idea of superpowered people, especially ones that can read minds, dominate people, clone themselves, teleport, etc. Thats got to be terrifying. And all you'd need was one bad example of a nova to really work people up. Happily IMS i have 4 really bad examples ::biggrin

[Alex Green]

Or even now with the hysteria about terrorism.

The thing is, we really did have 9-11. IMHO that puts our current scare on a more solid footing than the previous ones, and for a long time we tried (and with 9-11, ultimately failed) to treat terrorism as a criminal/legal matter.

Of course, with novas being real, this implies a more real reaction... in every direction.

Yes, they are a potential threat. But unlike terrorists, they are also a potential resource.

Many people would have a strong self interest in helping novas. Your company employs a nova for a 8-9 digit salary and he invents several new gidgets which give your company growth and prosperity.

People have a lot of tollerance for CEOs getting 8 digits when the company is doing a good job.

Of course, your rival company who is suffering because they don't have a nova is going to have a lot of people who *don't* feel that good about novas.

[Expendable]

People are frightened by what they don't understand. Frightened people get angry. Angry people strike back.

Some will pass it off as some sort of PR or movie stunt. How many movies get made in NY in a year? How many TV shows?

Some will resent the heroes. After all, aren't they interfering in police matters? Are they licensed? Insured? How do we know they're not involved with the criminals? You really believe that hocus-pocus bs they're trying to pull here?

There might be some agencies who'd welcome them. But the government would want to keep them away with a ten-foot pole until they know more. Like a task force. Secret surveillance, background checks, wire taps, the works.

And if you think they're bad, just wait until you run into the press. Only they're not going to keep what they find to themselves. No, they're going to let everyone know what they've dug up on you. Some will even make things up.

[astronomer]

The new series "Heroes" has an interesting look at people suddenly gaining superpowers . Do they go out and proclaim their coolness? No way, Jose! The politician doesn't want anyone knowing he can fly, the cheerleader just wants to be popular, and the artist is painting apocalyptic nightmares while drugged up. For the most part, their powers are more nuisance than useful. Only the Japanese timetraveler is shouting about his heroic coolness, but it's in Japanese, so no one believes or understands him. When the truth does come out, who know? The cheerleader's mom doesn't react well, nor does the artist's (ex)girlfriend.