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Trinity Universe: Backlash Universe

Expendable

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Expendable Proficient

Expendable

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I was wondering if there was any interest in some different sort of Aberrant games where things don't quite turn out right.

My first idea is a sort of "Mystery Men" style game where the heroes and villians are definitely not in the major leagues - "We're not your classic heros. We're the other guys." This is more for silly fun than anything.

My second idea is one where young Novas who've got in trouble over their new powers wind up getting sent to a "Nova Camp". Only after arriving at the camp, the young novas discover between their Mox injections that it's being run by a shadow agency who wants to turn them into mindwashed soldiers in their Nova army - and knowing if you do escape, they're going to come after you.

The third is darker still - when a nova fails to stop an aberrant from wipping out a city in time, a public backlash leads to a bill being signed into law that strips citizenship from meta-humans. Those with powers who turn themselves in have any property liquidated at a 'fair' price and are deported with a one-way ticket to anywhere in the world. But not everyone wants to leave....

let me know which idea you like. If I get five or six interested in one of these, I'll try to get one or more of these started. I just think you should know I've only been playing this for a while.

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SkyLion Legendary

SkyLion

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Dang, Ex. So much angst!

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In order such as it is:

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1.) I like this idea, in theory, but it seems more suitable for a one shot. Maybe if it turns out to be so hillarious and that our gags will have more depth we could explore further?

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2.) Kind of Nipponati meets La Femme Nikita? This sounds like a lower powered type of game. Those are fun, though almost every new game i have joined has been of the sort.

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3.) This idea interests me the most. Im bummed I never got to play in War journal, and this has a feel similar to a lead up to the aberrant war. Very cool. I can definitely dig the idea of being an underground resistance fighter. Would you be willing to let us start a little beefier than normal? Maybe not Prometheans Unbound beefy but something besides the standard 30 NP if you're lucky would be such a nice change of pace. I've explored the 30 level for so long and have some "bigger" ideas I've been waiting to play.

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When all is said though, the one that the most people pick is what gets played and if it seems fun to me then i'll play! In other words i'm flexible with the group.

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And Yo!!! All you Lurkers! All you old school Eon heads that pop in and check up on things or are waiting for Pott's return...come back! Hang out with us "new kids" a bit...

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Jeremiah Contributor

Jeremiah

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Count me in as well. I prefer the second and third ideas as well, I think the first has limited long term options. I very much like the idea of being novas on the run, and that could be either 2 or 3.

I don't really have any preference towards power level, although I feel like both games lend themselves to being lower powered. Certainly the second does, and I feel like if we're too high powered in the third we'd just get nuked or something. Buuuuuuut it is your game, and you run it how you want to, doesn't really make much of a difference to me. High power, low power or no power (okay, maybe not), I just wanna get some good roleplayin in. Thanks for stepping up and throwing out ideas for a new game man, its exciting.

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Alex Green Legendary

Alex Green

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RE: Mystery Men

Mecanically it'd be really hard to work this in the abby verse. Both the setting (all novas are potential gods) and the combat rules (brutal and short) work against you. 3 nova points (or 6 experience) buys Q-Bolt or M-Str. IMHO most of the Mystery Men were buildable for zero points (i.e. sell 6 abilities to buy one nova point). Just having a gun, or even basic compitense, would count as a major power. You *might* try this using A! rules with fewer transformation points.

RE: Nova Camp

This fits right in with the standard abby verse. Young nova screws up, gets in trouble with his powers and the law, etc.

RE: Backlash

All the rules and the setting work pretty well, the public realized early the problems and backlashed without actually starting the war. For that matter one could argue that Trinity is this. Since the novas (mostly) don't have Q6 the problem is still manageable, and with the public knowing about Q6, many of the "shoot on sight" orders actually make sense.

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SkyLion Legendary

SkyLion

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RE: Mystery Men

Mecanically it'd be really hard to work this in the abby verse. Both the setting (all novas are potential gods) and the combat rules (brutal and short) work against you. 3 nova points (or 6 experience) buys Q-Bolt or M-Str. IMHO most of the Mystery Men were buildable for zero points (i.e. sell 6 abilities to buy one nova point). Just having a gun, or even basic compitense, would count as a major power. You *might* try this using A! rules with fewer transformation points.

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Alex has a good point. IIRC the characters weren't even "powered." ie the invisible kid can't even turn invisible. What I *would* be down for is something more like the Tick. People with powers but set in a slapstick universe and played for comedy. I have the perfect nova for that...

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Expendable Proficient

Expendable

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Alex has a good point. IIRC the characters weren't even "powered." ie the invisible kid can't even turn invisible. What I *would* be down for is something more like the Tick. People with powers but set in a slapstick universe and played for comedy. I have the perfect nova for that...

He turns invisible - just as long as nobody's looking at him. But I think you guys are right, this mystery men game is out.

I think I like Backlash better than Nova Camp right now, so I'll start working on this if you guys are ok with that.

In this game, police have access to Mox. You gotta hide your powers when you're in public or get away fast. Dorming is going to be important. If you get aberrations, you better be able to hide them.

I'm putting together some npcs for the Network, an underground organization of Novas and Nova sympathizers who will try to help when they can - but don't expect too much. Phony ids, temp jobs, places to hide, stuff like that. Anyone who wants to help make some NPCs for this, please let me know.

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SkyLion Legendary

SkyLion

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NIce Ex! I will be looking forward to what you come up with. Once i learn a bit more and see what ou are going for I would be happy to drum up some NPCs.

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Any chance you'll throw a few more NPs at us since the deck is so stacked?

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And shudders at the Mox idea...at least its not eclipsodol! While Im thinking of it would M Stam/adapt/health work against mox? at least breathing it I mean...obviously armor and such would keep it from being injected..unless they have super armor piercing flechette rounds or something..

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Alex Green Legendary

Alex Green

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And shudders at the Mox idea...at least its not eclipsodol! While Im thinking of it would M Stam/adapt/health work against mox?
I'm not the ST, but IMHO adaptability would not (Mox isn't a poison or an enviromental effect and it is a nova drug) but Health with enough Mega-Stamina would make you immune.
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SkyLion Legendary

SkyLion

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I'm not the ST, but IMHO adaptability would not (Mox isn't a poison or an enviromental effect and it is a nova drug) but Health with enough Mega-Stamina would make you immune.
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reread adaptability again..."automatically immune to most poisons, gasses, disease and DRUGS; against particularly virulent diseases or Nova derived poisons, she gains an extra 6 soak or resistance dice." (on top of mega stamina and novas base resistance).

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I'd say that's pretty cut and dry wouldn't you?

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Alex Green Legendary

Alex Green

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reread adaptability again..."automatically immune to most poisons, gasses, disease and DRUGS; against particularly virulent diseases or Nova derived poisons, she gains an extra 6 soak or resistance dice." (on top of mega stamina and novas base resistance).,,

I'd say that's pretty cut and dry wouldn't you?

Sure would.

Mox isn't a virulent disease, or a nova derived poison (i.e. the Poison power), so those 6 resistance dice don't apply.

"Most drugs" (as opposed to "all drugs") as far as I can tell means it doesn't work against the drugs specifically designed to affect novas (although granted, it does make you immune to pretty much everything that isn't nova specific).

Seriously, resisting the nova specific drugs is Health's job, which makes sense since Health is very rare and Adaptability is very common. If it were otherwise then every third nova would be immune to the PU sterility "Micky" and reproduction wouldn't be an issue.

On a different subject, as I recall there is a flaw called dark secret or something, and considering that presumably all PCs are illegal novas, I suspect (assuming ST allows flaws and that one specifically) that everyone *has* to take it.

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Expendable Proficient

Expendable

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I would point out that police using Mox gas would be *extremely* hazardous to baselines about. i'd expect the police to prefer using tranq rounds instead...though against armored Novas that could be a problem...

Mox gas would be restricted to 'confined' places. Although a mox gas gernade....

Low Adaptabilty would give you limited resistance. High Adaptability or Mega-Stamina could give you an imunity, but then where's the challange?

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Expendable Proficient

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Aye. I'm working on some things as well. My basic idea is of a meglomaniac who talks in the third person...oh wait. That has been done!! ::devil

Seriously though, I'm excited as well. Looking forward to char gen guides. We are officially rolling with the Novas on the run theme right?

Yes, Novas on the run. There's two types I'm looking at - Known novas that are on a wanted poster, and secret novas whose eruption didn't trigger any notice - yet.

On that vein, we need a mainland city to have been blown up by an aberrant. Washington DC, NYC, Oklahoma City and San Francisco are out. Any candidates?

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Alex Green Legendary

Alex Green

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Baltimore. Detroit. Somewhere with very poor inner cities and high crime rates where uncontrolled eruptions/aberrants might go unnoticed.
The whole effect would be much worse if it were a "good" nova fighting a "bad" nova... say a city defenders fighting a terat... and the "hero" pulls a powermax without knowing he has Q6 and what Area + Mastery does.
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SkyLion Legendary

SkyLion

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I know you posted recently about this in Trans-D (about Paul not knowing he had a second dot of healing). IMHO (and it really is just a difference of opinion) there is no way a Nova wouldn't know they jumped from Q5 to Q6. Since the NOvas body channels quantum and *especially* with maserty..thae quantum would "flow" more strongly and in the case of mastery more efficiently. IMHO a Nova should be able to feel the difference...ie you can tell when you get stronger..

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Alex Green Legendary

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"Stronger"? Sure I buy that, although I'm not sure how you tell without actually using the power. Paul knows he's stronger, the problem is the last time that happened was on overclocked. But Quantum is easier to calibrate because everything works off it, including your appearance. So presumably you can feel it as well. But...

Q5 is stronger than Q4, and from that you get an extra [2] to [4] in damage and a little more range.

Q6 is stronger than Q5, and from that you get those same extra damage, that same extra range, AND you also gain the ability to powermax for Mastery, which extends your area by 1000x. Some techniques and powers are already with area, for example Elemental Fire's storm technique does lethal levels (not dice).

That's not the kind of mistake you make twice, but it might be the kind you make once.

After all it's not like these powers come with the rule books.

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SkyLion Legendary

SkyLion

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Very well stated Alex. ::happy

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I suppose it's really all in how you want to play it. In Heroes for example, Peter Petreli struggles to control the fision power he pics up. But Sylar doesn't seem to have the problem with the powers he absorbs. Or maybe just particular powers, whatever. Theres a million different ways to [play Aberrant], and all of them are correct. ::biggrin

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Jeremiah Contributor

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The whole effect would be much worse if it were a "good" nova fighting a "bad" nova... say a city defenders fighting a terat... and the "hero" pulls a powermax without knowing he has Q6 and what Area + Mastery does.

Good call. While an uncontrolled nova just going nuclear would certainly scare everyone, a hero out to do good who inadvertently blows everything to hell would cause even more trouble-

Even if you find them before they erupt, treat them, teach them, make them into super cops...they're still too dangerous to live.

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Expendable Proficient

Expendable

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Why are those cities you mentioned off limits Ex? As for other suggestions: Seattle, Atlanta, Dallas.

Because outlawing metahumans fast before you've thought about it works only if Congress still exists. So DC is out. DC, NYC and Oklahoma City were all victims of recent terrorist attacks and I don't want people thinking we're making light of that. SF because it got blown up in Ridley's book and I'm just using it for inspiration.

Baltimore sounds good. It's close enough to DC to put a real scare into politicians and I like Sablesma's reasoning.

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Jeremiah Contributor

Jeremiah

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Because outlawing metahumans fast before you've thought about it works only if Congress still exists. So DC is out. DC, NYC and Oklahoma City were all victims of recent terrorist attacks and I don't want people thinking we're making light of that. SF because it got blown up in Ridley's book and I'm just using it for inspiration.

Baltimore sounds good. It's close enough to DC to put a real scare into politicians and I like Sablesma's reasoning.

WOO HOO! VICTORY! SEE YA BALTIMORE!

...

...

Wait. I live in Baltimore. Shit.

Can't win for losing i guess.

I'm gonna be home for the holidays though...if you could blow up Baltimore sometime between now and new years, I'd really appreciate it.

Seriously though, I don't know if this is going to be a really detailed event or just "baltimore got blown up a while ago." If you need any help with descriptions, locations, anything like that...just let me know.

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Expendable

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...*poke*

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Yo Ex! Whats the rest of the world like towards Novas? In other words, if its just the US being an ass, why don't all the Novas just go to Ibiza and party it up?

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Can we make "the resistance" be an alternate version of the Aberrant faction? What about Terat philosophies?

Resistance? Resistance to what? The Network isn't a resistance group, it's more like an underground railroad of people sheltering Novas. If you want to start a resistance group, you're going to have to do it in game.

As for what the rest of the world is like, mostly normal. Most think we're making a mistake. Some are wondering how they can take advantage of this in business and other... ventures. A few people are speaking out, stating that the US is right and the Novas are dangerous and should be expelled - even the heroes. But most governments are ignoring them for now.

Oh - and some Novas ARE partying.

But some don't want to leave and believe the government is wrong. Of course, they're going against everyone who lost someone in Baltimore and the ones who think the government was right.

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April 9th, 2004 - At 1:17 PM, Noel Morton, a.k.a. the "Mighty Mentat" and his partner, Denis Boyer, a.k.a. "The Brawler", minor Baltimore Nova criminals, attempted to rob the downtown branch of NovaOne Bank. A silent alarm got tripped, police responded. 1:39 PM - No less that three novas, two wearing capes and powers unknown charged past police lines to tackle the criminal duo. 1:44 - a massive explosion of unknown origin rips through the bank like a nuclear blast, creating a blast crater and knocking over skyscrapers like a pile of blocks for miles. Casualties number in the thousands. Novas outside the city report feeling a massive quantum spike.

April 11th, 2004 - a preliminary report suggesting that two or more of the novas fighting in the bank may have over-extended themselves, triggering their mutual distruction and the blast that leveled the city is accidently released, triggering a backlash against the Novas.

April 26th, 2004 - Congress passes a bill that calls for removing American citizenship and deporting any Novas present and future from the United States. The President signs the bill into law at 1:44 PM following a moment of silence. Within hours, police departments across the US raid the offices of known Nova organizations, impounding membership lists and begin tracking down public novas.

May 10th, 2004 - police begin processing Novas who turn themselves in for deportation. They receive'fair market value for any property they hold and a one-way ticket to any country that will accept them. Many European nations announce they will accept expulsed Novas and their families without question.

June 6th, 2004 - Police begin raidng homes of known novas who failed to turn themselves in for deportation. While some co-operated, many Novas began resisting being forced out of their homes, rapidly esculating into violence.

June 9th, 2004 - Janet Marshall, the L.A. Angel, is shot down by police attempting to escape from custody at the Marshall home.

June 10th, 2004 - L.A. becomes the first 'node' in the Nova Underground 'Network'.

People, you all start as new novas who've erupted since April 26th, 2004. Before your eruption you were all normal people with normal lives. Something happens that changes all that - you erupted. If your eruption happened publically, you had no choice but to run. Others who erupted privately inadvertantly get discovered. Somehow you each received a help, a person who took you in. Armed with a disguise and false ids, you travel from one haven to another until you wind up in a small coffee shop/book store in San Diego, CA.

There are two nova alliances in the US - the Network, an underground group that hides Novas; and Nova-American, a protest group campaigning against the Anti-Nova law.

Chargen

1.0 Phase One: Human

1.1 Alliegences - Network, Nova-American (NA), Independant (you do not have aligned with Network for them to help you)

1.2 Attributes - you do not have to designate primary, secondary, etc. 15 points

1.3 Abilities - standard

1.4 Backgrounds - No more than 2 dots of influence, Eufiber x3 cost (illegal, hard to get)

1.5 Phase One Finishing Touches - standard

2.0 Phase Two: Nova

2.1 Origin - standard

2.2 Nova Points - standard 30 Nova points, Maximum of 5 points of starting taint.

2.3 Phase Two Finishing Touches - standard.

All characters must be approved by me. Any reasonable suggestion concidered

As I'm new at this, I'm limiting this to six people.

If you'd like to run a group in Backlash, talk to me about setting up a node in another city.

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