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Open World M&M 3e


Dave ST

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That would do a great deal to ease the sinister overtones of its rule...

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Though really, anytime you have a semi-omnipotent energy ball ruling over an island of worshipful devotees, there's always going to be a hint of sinisterism. :)

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What I'm getting is this: The people who are opposed to the idea as written seem to be doing so because they feel it's incompatible with the tone of a superhero setting. I don't personally have an issue with it- I sort of like the moral ambiguity and the questions it raises- but there are people who feel very strongly about it. I'm fine with Vis as an utterly inhuman being, one who simply doesn't possess the same moral standards as humankind because it's not wired that way. I'm fine with Vis as an immensely powerful super who's incredibly tyrannical when it comes to the enforcement of the island's laws, but otherwise is largely laissez-faire and either benevolent or ambivalent. I'm also fine with Vis as a sadistic villain, or a pacifist, or anything else.

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As has been suggested in chat, however, perhaps the tone of the setting should be more clearly defined, so these issues can be resolved with minimal frustration to all parties. That would also give us a better idea what alterations, if any, should be made to the proposed neutral territory, and any other locales or groups that may crop up as people build onto the world.

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Just to be clear, I'm not in any way opposed to the idea. I actually think it's a cool idea.

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I'm just not sure that Mala proposed it with the intention of it being as unsettling as it turned out to be (to me).

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I'd be perfectly happy with it in the game as-is, with the understanding that my character(s) wouldn't be thinking of it as a cool spot to vacation, but rather a place that needs to be checked out.

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Okay, first off, Vis is meant to be a somewhat mysterious figure that only seems to show up when there's a problem on the island. I think I didn't get a few points across very well, though.

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1) Most of the time when people are being dicks and starting fights, they just get kicked out for a time.

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2) When it does get to the point of Vis getting involved, it's because the amount of violence has escalated to the point where it is, or was, if the Empyrean population was able to take care of it but are pissed off enough to bring the offenders before Vis, to the point of putting the islands and the inhabitants in a great deal of danger. This is a hangout for superheroes and villains. Y'know, those people that can toss around tanks and 747 like baseballs when they feel like it? I did not intend to give the impression that cussing at someone or throwing a punch in a minor bar brawl was gonna get you offed by the ball o' light. But plotting out a major battle at the sight of the archipelago because you don't want to break the places where your toys are (essentially the scenario I was thinking of with the two teams of supers that got into it and Vis stepped in and burned the whole group) isn't okay. Vis made a point there, showing that it wasn't going to put up with either side using the islands as bait or the neutrality as an excuse to use the area to settle scores. Villainous? Perhaps, I guess, from the point of view that Vis will use lethal force, but then anyone that's ever hurt someone invading their home is also a 'villain'.

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3) The Empyrean people are meant to be affable but a bit odd to everyone and nosing around the islands to learn more about them and Vis was intended to be some plot-hook points.

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4) I don't really want Vis to be a toothless pacifist. I don't see that as realistically preserving the neutrality of the archipelago or as that interesting. I intended for the NPC to be pretty much dead center on Neutral Lawful, using D&D terms. Follow the rules and everything's gravy, and Vis doesn't really care what you do outside its domain.

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Mala, your point #3 is what sells it to me.

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So I'm good with it, though it might use some tweaking...a great deal of which can be handled on a thread by thread basis, I'd think. Specific stuff like, "I need someone to get in and out without being stopped, what's a plausible way for that to happen," or "How could a serial killer operate here, so the PCs can get involved to stop it?"

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Those sorts of narrative questions can be resolved as they crop up, I'd think, as long as communication is good.

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Our alternate PCs are not slot machines that we put a request into and get what we want. They shouldn't even be treated as such.

This was my point. As long as we all understand each other, we'll consider the matter resolved.

So... anyone actually wanna voice their thoughts on the issue of how many Character Slots?

It was sort of a two part question/statement.

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Okay. Two seems to be what people are going with. Two is optional, but no more.

Also, how much of the M&M Material do we want to use? There's S.T.A.R., A.E.G.I.S., U.N.I.S.O.N., and SHADOW.

S.T.A.R. - Some people prefer their heroes a little more down to earth, instead of whizzing through the air and tossing cars around. In Freedom City, the most admired of these heroes are the police, the fire department, and the local HAZMAT details, and the most respected of these are the police. The ones that most commonly see action against supervillains are the Freedom City STAR (Superhuman Tactics and Regulation) Squad. STAR Squad draws its inspiration primarily from sources like Metropolis’ Special Crimes Unit in DC Comics’ Superman, Marvel’s Code: BLUE, Alan Moore’s Top Ten for America’s Best Comics (although that’s a fully superhuman world), and POWERS, as well as from television cop shows where the protagonists sometimes seem extra-human, like Columbo, CSI, or Due South, as well as more traditional cop series like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue.

A.E.G.I.S. - AEGIS, Defenders of Liberty, the Shield of Freedom; that’s not what people called them when they first began operations, but sometimes you can earn respect. AEGIS is a curious beast: a mix of highly trained investigators and the most heavily armed military Special Forces personnel in the world. Their mission: counterterrorism. Within America’s borders, AEGIS is the government’s response to superhuman crime and violence. When a superhuman threat emerges to threaten lives and freedom, AEGIS is the first—and often the best—line of defense. Though sometimes a cynical world has trouble believing it, AEGIS agents are the good guys. For the most part, they are true patriots, ready at a moment’s notice to risk their lives to protect America and its citizens. They are far from perfect, but then again, even the superheroes aren’t that good.

U.N.I.S.O.N. - The United Nations International Superhuman Oversight Network, or UNISON, is the world’s front line against supervillains. In the United States, AEGIS gets all of the press, but in the far corners of the globe, it’s UNISON that takes the risks, putting their lives on the line against supervillains, often without well-stocked arsenals and bases (or even a good medic) at their disposal.

SHADOW - Beware SHADOW, the new Reich of Terror! Under the leadership of the infamous Overshadow, this cruel organization’s objective is to finish what Nazi Germany began: nothing less than the total domination of the world! Bolstered by legions of clone troopers and some of the most fiendish devices ever invented, SHADOW fights a never-ending war to plunge the world into the darkness of the Overshadow, to rob mankind of the gifts of justice, democracy, and even free will itself! Most believe SHADOW collapsed from internal struggles during the 1980s and was finally destroyed by AEGIS in 1990. The terrible truth is SHADOW has been lying dormant, planning and scheming for years with virtually no opposition. With the world lulled into a false sense of security and concentrating on other threats (like the terrorist group Overthrow), the day is rapidly approaching when SHADOW shall reemerge to once more darken the light.

SHADOW is the ultimate barbarian at today’s gates; like its namesake, this vile organization casts a long shadow that threatens to engulf the ideals of the free world and the liberties of its peoples.

The reason I ask is because, well, this stuff is already made for us and it's easy to assimilate. It saves the time of us having to make it all.

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Also, how much of the M&M Material do we want to use? There's S.T.A.R., A.E.G.I.S., U.N.I.S.O.N., and SHADOW.

S.T.A.R. - Some people prefer their heroes a little more down to earth, instead of whizzing through the air and tossing cars around. In Freedom City, the most admired of these heroes are the police, the fire department, and the local HAZMAT details, and the most respected of these are the police. The ones that most commonly see action against supervillains are the Freedom City STAR (Superhuman Tactics and Regulation) Squad. STAR Squad draws its inspiration primarily from sources like Metropolis Special Crimes Unit in DC Comics Superman, Marvels Code: BLUE, Alan Moores Top Ten for Americas Best Comics (although thats a fully superhuman world), and POWERS, as well as from television cop shows where the protagonists sometimes seem extra-human, like Columbo, CSI, or Due South, as well as more traditional cop series like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue.

This could be played up like a US law enforcement/first response agency similar to the FBI and FEMA combined. Could be the best origin for some player heroes.

A.E.G.I.S. - AEGIS, Defenders of Liberty, the Shield of Freedom; thats not what people called them when they first began operations, but sometimes you can earn respect. AEGIS is a curious beast: a mix of highly trained investigators and the most heavily armed military Special Forces personnel in the world. Their mission: counter-terrorism. Within Americas borders, AEGIS is the governments response to superhuman crime and violence. When a superhuman threat emerges to threaten lives and freedom, AEGIS is the firstand often the bestline of defense. Though sometimes a cynical world has trouble believing it, AEGIS agents are the good guys. For the most part, they are true patriots, ready at a moments notice to risk their lives to protect America and its citizens. They are far from perfect, but then again, even the superheroes arent that good.

I see AEGIS being a 6th branch of the US Military by this point, with perhaps cross-involvement with each branch within it's mission. This is the best of the best. GI Joe level stuff. Another great potential origin.

U.N.I.S.O.N. - The United Nations International Superhuman Oversight Network, or UNISON, is the worlds front line against super-villains. In the United States, AEGIS gets all of the press, but in the far corners of the globe, its UNISON that takes the risks, putting their lives on the line against super-villains, often without well-stocked arsenals and bases (or even a good medic) at their disposal.

We can shift UNISON to be more of something like UNIT from Doctor Who, just replace aliens with super-villains. Sometimes they're outmatched and call the heroes in and sometimes they are the guys that have just the right touch to pull a hero's fat out of the frier. Now if a super hails from this team, they're going to be VERY busy.

SHADOW - Beware SHADOW, the new Reich of Terror! Under the leadership of the infamous Overshadow, this cruel organizations objective is to finish what Nazi Germany began: nothing less than the total domination of the world! Bolstered by legions of clone troopers and some of the most fiendish devices ever invented, SHADOW fights a never-ending war to plunge the world into the darkness of the Overshadow, to rob mankind of the gifts of justice, democracy, and even free will itself! Most believe SHADOW collapsed from internal struggles during the 1980s and was finally destroyed by AEGIS in 1990. The terrible truth is SHADOW has been lying dormant, planning and scheming for years with virtually no opposition. With the world lulled into a false sense of security and concentrating on other threats (like the terrorist group Overthrow), the day is rapidly approaching when SHADOW shall reemerge to once more darken the light.

SHADOW is the ultimate barbarian at todays gates; like its namesake, this vile organization casts a long shadow that threatens to engulf the ideals of the free world and the liberties of its peoples.

I can dig this. I'd love to see a straight-up villain group to tangle with. But lets make them a bit more clever. They like fracturing society, depending on how we wanna go, have them infiltrate some of our establishments. Let them truly be that one shadow in the night you don't know which light source it comes from. I mean, I don't want people to think I want that level of Paranoia in the game, witch hunts suck in general, but having the occasional surprise of a infiltrated SHADOW agent being your superior or having to root out a confirmed spy can be quite the story as a SHADOW agent is skilled and talented enough to dance with most supers.

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World Building-

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To clarify: If you want your PC to 'own' a particular turf, like Batman owns Gotham, then you need to say so publicly so everyone knows you're working on something. If more than one person claims the same area (Manhattan, for example) then you guys need to work on it together. Or divide it up. Heroes share cities all the time. Just like we did with the Empyria, post it up, critique it, flesh it out, move on. Easy peasy.

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Okay...

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On that note, we're on to Character Building.

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All participants have 2 Character Slots. Please make your PCs and submit them to Craig ST, Gabe OOC, and myself (this account) for review.

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Let's get this ball rolling.

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As has been suggested in chat, however, perhaps the tone of the setting should be more clearly defined, so these issues can be resolved with minimal frustration to all parties. That would also give us a better idea what alterations, if any, should be made to the proposed neutral territory, and any other locales or groups that may crop up as people build onto the world.

The tone is Greayscale.

What this means is basically the game caters to both the 'Heroey Heroes' and the 'Grimdark Anti-Heroes'. If you have a paladin-esque character who would never kill a villain or hurt a puppy or fart upwind from someone, then that's fine. You can make that character and play in those sorts of stories all you like. You can be the paragon of virtue and the white knight heroism. That's awesome and part of the theme, so have fun with it.

Fair is fair however.

There are places in the world where not everything is black and white. Mostly shadows and blood. Dark places where the lunatics are running the asylum and it takes a hero with a bit more grit. Dark heroes are out there too. They don't play nice, they get their hands dirty, and sometimes people die. That's there world. Don't like it? Don't go there. Not everyone can handle that sort of place.

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I'm not sure where the idea that Empyrea was the next beach-bunny capital of world came into being, but having had that thrown in my face several times now, let me quote from my first damn paragraph about the Archipelago:

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....and by the mid ‘50’s it was known in the circle of the strange and superhuman as a place to go for information, sanctuary, or to meet a nemesis on neutral ground.

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That's the second damn sentence. No where does it mention Batman and the Joker laying next to each other on the damn beach, or mortal enemies being "one cabana over from each other". It's just some god-damn neutral territory for characters to be able to do storylines about needing to get information from villains, needing a place to hide out and heal up when their HQ has been blown to shit, or even just for people that don't get along and have bad tempers to sit down and hammer out 'territorial lines' without having to plan for an ambush or double-cross during the fucking meeting.

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That was all.

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Appears Jeremy and Jordan don't want part in this right now.

Please send you characters to this account, Malachite Drake, and Dawn OOC.

Thanks guys and sorry for any confusion.

I'm out. I sincerely hope you all enjoy the game.

You're welcome back if you change your mind.
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This is a brief write-up for my character's company/organization, as a hook for anyone else that wants to be involved with the group. I don't know if we're going with the alphabet soups from the books (personally, I'd rather we build our own), but Nova Vida is a player-created way to organize groups into teams and run both city and global-level storylines. Please let me know if I need to change any of the cities listed below to account for cities other players want to use for genre-specific feels and don't want Nova Vida there, or if anyone wants their city put on the list.

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Nova Vida

Created by Dahlia Berganza after an attack on her hospital by the the villain Basilius, a long-standing nemesis of the Berganza family, that left her nearly quadriplegic, Nova Vida is an organization and company that seeks to bring together heroes from across the world and provide them with the resources, contacts, and fellow teammates to help make the world a better place. Technically headquartered on an orbiting space station, facilities of the organization exist in major cities across the world, including New York, Mexico City, Rio De Janeiro, London, Vienna, Cairo, Tokyo, and Sydney so far. Dahlia rotates between time on the different facilities on Earth and the station in orbit, balancing comfort and the degeneration that long-term zero-g exposure can cause. She tries to meet each superhuman involved in Nova Vida at least once personally, and usually spends time with other inventive or super-intelligent types when she can.

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Nova Vida coordinates with [supers University], the dean of the university being one of Dahlia's elder brothers and the family as a whole being both vocal and financial supporters of the city. Nova Vida also offers non-traditional training services and consumer items to the superhuman heroic community, especially for those that come into their powers later in life. Nova Vida does not knowingly assist or consort with any villainous elements, superhuman or not, and has publicly denounced and refused to sell or otherwise engage with the Empyrean Archipelago, which Dahlia has been quotes as viewing as a "sink-hole of blind avarice under the rule of an amoral superhuman that allows itself to be worshiped as a god simply because it is powerful." Any superhumans that sign on with Nova Vida are not allowed on the island chain save in pursuit of an official mission (even personal time spent on the island is seen as too large a conflict of interest with the goals and image of Nova Vida) and must renounce any ties they have to Empyrea before they can join the organization.

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To draw an Aberrant parallel, Nova Vida is like a highly moral version of DeVries in how it functions.

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Just want to let you guys know, I've decided to stick around as an ST and Character Creation Mod. But right now, my presence will probably be more weighted towards the latter, and low-key as the former.

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Basically, I don't want to let this stuff drag me down.

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Just want to let you guys know, I've decided to stick around as an ST and Character Creation Mod. But right now, my presence will probably be more weighted towards the latter, and low-key as the former.

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Basically, I don't want to let this stuff drag me down.

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If you're worried about it 'dragging you down' why don't you just sit out? You sound lackluster about this at best, and the first rule of STing (in any role) is to want your game to succeed. You sound like it's a borderline inconvenience.

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Let me be more precise. I don't want that ton of bickering and rampant negative emotion that I've been seeing in chat follow me into this game/collective universe as we get rolling. Which is why I'm going to take it slow and steady.

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Also, I'm probably going to run a number of different one-shot scenarios to start with anyway. Not full games.

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At the moment I'm considering Boston, London or New Orleans for Misthal's home turf.. leaning toward London or Boston but I also want him available for world wide activities as well, and I'm considering donating a point toward the [supers University] for collective HQ creation for the school.. thinking of he might be available on occasion as a teacher of students with mystical based abilities in particular or something along those lines.

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Let me be more precise. I don't want that ton of bickering and rampant negative emotion that I've been seeing in chat follow me into this game/collective universe as we get rolling. Which is why I'm going to take it slow and steady.

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Also, I'm probably going to run a number of different one-shot scenarios to start with anyway. Not full games.

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That is more precise and much more understandable, thank you. Also, I support the idea of doing one-shots; this is a staple in comics and I think will be a lot of fun.

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Right now I am aiming to put Super-U in an 'international' location, which may not be in the USA. A lot of good feedback on this subject has been shared with me, and I'm chewing on it. At the moment it has the following mechanical traits:

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Size: Gargantuan, 4
Toughness 8, 1
Features
- Communications, 1
- Computer, 1
- Dock, 1
- Fire Prevention, 1
- Garage/Parking, 1
- Grounds (Colossal), 1
- Gym, 1
- Infirmary, 1
- Laboratory, 1
- Library, 1
- Living Space, 1
- Personnel, 1
- Workshop, 1
- Power System, 1
- Security System, 1

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A total cost of 20ep, or 4pp. I'm prepared to pay for all of that myself if need be. Alternatively we could break the campus up into smaller sections, like "College of Physical Sciences" and so on, each with their own subsystems, though this is probably more work and redundancy than is wise. :)

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Additional points could be invested in some more Toughness, or possibly a nonlethal Defense System...though I'd prefer the school not be an armed camp. My current goal is to simply include security staff in the campus Personnel, and leave more dangerous threats to the student body/PC's.

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The campus needs to be in a location that is not inaccessible, but is also not urban, so as to minimize the possibility of collateral damage from accidents, experiments, and occasional supervillainry. It is not ONLY a school for supers, rather it is a school where supers and non-supers learn to live and work together. For that reason it is as much a symbol as it is an institution, and cannot be secret or concealed from the public eye.

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Current locations under review include, but aren't limited to:

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Switzerland

England

The US midwest somewhere.

Canada

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China and/or the Middle East I am not ruling out but the local social/political climate makes it trickier...as does my own abject ignorance about those areas.

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Just to let you guys know where I am, and where I'm going, since Super-U (not it's 'real' name of course, but very likely a popular nickname) is intended to be a handy setpiece for various adventures and a good resource for heroes of all ages. :)

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Here's my first stab at the island idea. *braces for impact- uh, I mean, feedback* :D - mala

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Very nice, I like it a lot.

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Incidentally, I don't know squat about the system, but I guess now is as good a time as any to learn it if someone feels generous enough to help me. I don't have a ton of time still with the babies still being so young, but we are moved into an apartment for now and it will be a bit before we move again, so I think I can devote enough time for one active game. ;)

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Here's my first stab at the island idea. *braces for impact- uh, I mean, feedback* :D - mala

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Very nice, I like it a lot.

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Incidentally, I don't know squat about the system, but I guess now is as good a time as any to learn it if someone feels generous enough to help me. I don't have a ton of time still with the babies still being so young, but we are moved into an apartment for now and it will be a bit before we move again, so I think I can devote enough time for one active game. ;)

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Fox, just catch me in chat. I can help ya. :)

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"How could a serial killer operate here, so the PCs can get involved to stop it?" - Max

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Simple, the serial killer is killing people in London, and New York and Tokoyo, but then ducking back to Empyrea after the kills, Vis doesn't care because the killer isn't killing anyone on Empyrea, and it doesn't care what happens outside it's islands.

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I'm thinking of playing a god of some type. I've never played scion or any of the other deity related games, so I'm kind of intrigued. Haven't decided on the character personality or powers yet, but I just rewatched the avengers the other night and have loki and thor on the brain. ;) I'll have to let the seed germinate for a bit and see what grows.

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Hehe. Just an example of the sort of thing that a storyteller wanting to do something in Visland might want to work with Mala on. Rhetorical.

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Though Mala's later posts imply that a person using Empyrea so blatantly would probably not be welcome there. Unless other, mysterious, reasons were in play. And therein lies the game. :)

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Btw, Max, I suggest adding combat simulator to that HQ.. going to donate a point to the building anyway, so you have another point there, though Misthal will have his own arcane sanctum that he might bring students too.. also if you go with British Isle.. I'm going to put Misthal in London.

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Fox, if I recall discussion from upstream right, you can't actually play a god. Or maybe something was said in chat. Regardless, someone powered by the gods is fine, as far as I know. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to what you're planning to play. :)

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I am...unconvinced on a combat simulator.

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The school offers training in the use of powers, but in the same vein that I'm iffy on defense systems, I'm also iffy on something that exists to train people to be soldiers, or weaponize their powers.

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It doesn't feel very 'university' to me.

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I'm not saying 'no' yet, just saying I'm skeptical.

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What are your thoughts on the matter?

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Max, I like that the university isn't a fighting school. There's bound to be other groups that do want to teach supers how to fight.

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You can still teach warfare and tactics there; just not how to fight directly. We could build a 'fighting' school elsewhere, though they're more likely to be like DV than a school.

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