Open World M&M 3e

[SalmonMax]

Down with it!

A world is just too big for people who don't have huge budgets and/or fast transit powers. Narrowing it down like that would make it WAY easier to get involved!

Edit - And by 'down with it' I mean 'I am down with that.' Not 'I hate it, down with it!'

[Charlotte]

This sounds like a good idea, yes.

[The Mariner]

Adjust background? Well at most what I would have to do is have E move there. After all, Minneapolis isn't known for the super-crime places like NYC or LA have.

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So the questions are then:

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Which country will Megacity 1 be in?

What will be it's location and climate?

Population?

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Not looking for a full simulation, just a bit of info.

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Also, I think I might be able to find something that can generate a map. Can you guys wait a day or two and I can post up a few candidates?

[Dawn OOC]

As I stated in chat, let's let Reven, the other ST, comment. I haven't heard any players who oppose the idea and I don't know that he will, but rather than doing a lot of work on something that he's not going to even want in his game, let's wait and give him time to comment on it.

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I know we're eager, but we can wait a couple of more days.

[The Mariner]

That's reasonable.

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Looking forward to seeing the build process for the city.

[Dave ST]

I'd like to make a suggestion that might help people build some momentum for this game. It would require adjustments to people's background, but I really think it would be a boon to us.

The idea is that we forget the world-wide idea, and the zones of influence idea. I know that something similar has been suggested, but I suggest we add a new city, a mega-city, to the map. This city would be the focus of the game. Yes, it's a bit contrived but all the PCs are really spread out and this would bring them closer.

Some concept art...

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Honestly, I'm okay with this idea.

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And thank you Dawn for keeping this moving while some of us are away. I know my time is short lately and I appreciate it when people keep things moving.

[The Mariner]

Is there anything I can do to help with the process, then, in regards to our new city? What needs looking into?

[Darrik Reynolds]

Mala/Davian and I need to obviously both be on the same page about this, but I think it works.

[z018]

Sounds like we have an ST consensus. Might I suggest a soft reboot of the setting to let people rearrange background points to fit into the new paradigm?

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For example, if we set the megacity to be the L.A.-San Francisco Megalopolis, then Davian's archnemesis Dr. Solace will now be mucking about and creating choas in the Mojave Desert instead of the Sahara. Likewise, if we decided to go for Chicago Dominion (surrounding all of Lake Michigan), then she could have an underwater base in the lake. New location, new twist, same basic storyline.

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Thoughts?

[The Mariner]

I wouldn't mind getting the opportunity to "respec" Ensign a bit. Perhaps calling her "The Mariner". Which means I would have to do some renaming... Luckily Chicago is on the Great Lakes and LA is on the Pacific.

I'm up for LA personally. Some of it is the fact it's just nicer weather. For actual though, there is a logical reason to have the LA-San Fransisco area to become a Megaopolis. Have it be rebuilt after a BIG ONE type earthquake/tsunami one-two punch. This would also be "the event" that brings supers to the public's attention in a far greater role than they have been prior.

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This would allow us to rebuild the area as a mega-city, and allow us some free reign on the layout.

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(OOps, I meant San-Fran/LA. Derp. Corrected.)

[Dawn OOC]

I'd rather avoid major disasters, just because I don't think we need them. So with that, I present my suggestion:

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https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=218276024915979446240.0004e6e9f4f7be3c38fe6&msa=0&ll=35.209722,-119.888306&spn=3.818975,4.746094

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The above link is to a Google map. Please refer to the column on the left to determine what each colored zone and each line represents. It matches this brief history:

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In Character Information

The first heroes were publically revealed in the post-war boom of the 1950s. There were rumors that there were supers before that time, but such rumors have never been confirmed. The first three heroes to make names for themselves joined the fledgling Hollywood system, setting a precedent for those who followed. Though not all settled in LA – some set up shop elsewhere on the coast of California – normal people followed them, eager to collect the wealth that seemed to flow from the heroes.

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Their presence revitalized the entire state. At first, it looked to be a boon to the area, especially LA that found itself hosting increasingly wealthy people. Even places like Compton and West LA were pulled into the wealthier bracket, but only by kicking out their poor residents, flattening their homes and rebuilding over the land. Those poor residents when north, creating the first houses of the future Slums. This was repeated in all the cities affected by the Mega-City’s sprawl; all of the poor were diverted to the widened sprawl that began to choke the area north of LA. This became a haven for crime, drugs, prostitution and all the usual trouble caused by poverty and lack of opportunity.

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As the civil rights and counter culture movement spread in the 60’s, the heroes got involved. One of them set up an eco-focused business in San Francisco, sparking a strong ‘green’ movement that slowly picked up steam. By the nineties, the Green Zone was firmly established, swallowing the SanFran metro and two national parks to the south of San Jose.

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Sacramento became the main source of the business and expanded as a government center. More people meant more government and more money, and the public and private sectors grew because of that. Gradually the B-Zone was established; it also spawned the Burbs, as middle-class citizens built new homes close to their work but outside the heavily populated B-Zone.

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In the early 2000’s, a local businessperson gathered the funding for a high-speed rail to address the problems of connecting the growing city. The result was the TransCity line, a rail that stretched almost six hundred fifty miles north and south. Other lines were built, some privately owned and operated but most publically funded and operated.

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Are there any questions? What do you guys think of this (admittedly and purposefully) sparse history? I didn’t name names, so that people could fill in the blanks with character ties and so on.

[The Mariner]

Looks brilliant. I'll get to changing Ensign's... I mean The Mariner's background accordingly and soon.

Would a transplant superheroine from Minnesota make sense?

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Also, what can I do to help? Something needs input?

[Dawn OOC]

As far as I'm concerned, the next step is that people need to look to getting their backgrounds straight. With the change, I don't know if we're still having the super island; I'll have to talk to Mala about that when she and I can discuss it. Then they need to get the changes approved, which shouldn't be too hard unless someone wants to be written into city history, and then we (the ST team) may need to discuss that with the player. Once the background is approved, we need to get people putting up their character sheets. And then we need people to start writing.

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I think that's the next steps.

[Dr. Julian Kell]

does UCLA still exist?

[Dave ST]

does UCLA still exist?

I don't see any logical reason why it wouldn't.

[The Mariner]

Well at least the first step of my change is complete.

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That and with the change, my character being a "Legacy" heroine seems to work better with heroes being around since the 1950's.

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Next week I should have a new background all set up. Then I look forward to helping getting things rolling!

[The Story Guide]

Eh, no one used the island so far and it seems to be unnecessary at this point. If someone pipes up that it's something they want, let's keep it, otherwise let's just focus on the City.

[The Mariner]

I second that mindset, Mala, but keep your notes. You'll never know if you might be able to use them again.

[Dave ST]

For those begining this process, keep this in mind: This should not take major editing or overhauling for anyone's PCs. Your PCs are made. Change a city name, change a place, and bam, you're done. It's not something that should take weeks, days, or even more than an hour. Your background is written. Adjust it, don't rewrite it.

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Mala, I for one, liked the island. My only real bitch with it was that there was some uber, omnipresent, unbeatable, unkillable, and completely unbelievable entity that ran it who was infallible and in all ways... plain fucking boring. Basically, Elmister's Island. It's no fun to play out a plot in a realm where you know there is some Deus Ex Machina in the rafters waiting to distend your anus on some STs whim. On top of that, a being that perfect leaves no room to run any sort of plot on the island, because glowie dude already knows whats going and logically, it's his problem because even if you wanted to do something you can't unless you have his okay... but he doesn't associate with people so you're in a catch 22... piss off the god guy by doing what you can to do (and leave with distended anus) or let the bad guys get away with whatever they want and distend the anus of your moral code instead.

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The island is an awesome idea, I just think we need to tweak it a bit, and fuck all the little whiny babies who didn't like it. If you don't like it, don't go there. Period.

[SalmonMax]

Yep. I'm basically just substituting the new city's name for New York in my background. No other changes needed.

[The Mariner]

My background needs the most work... unfortunately. It was written for one world, and now with the change I need to rebuild a lot of it. I'm working on it this weekend though. My background DOES need a re-write. But I don't need to change stats or anything. Just change the fluff on some things.

[The Mariner]

I am heavily delayed on getting the background set. With Long's game starting and I need to get some lingering things completed as well, things are stacking up. I am still in for this, but I need time.

[Dawn OOC]

Hey, folks, do we have interested players or not? People seemed to like the MegaCity idea, but we've had exactly one submitted background revision. Are people interested or is this a dead proposal?

[The Mariner]

I'm having to re-write my whole background from this change and I've not had time. I'll get something sent when I can.

I'm still unwinding a few other character-related things in other games as well. This weekend I'll try to knock things down.

[Justin OOC]

I don't really have to change anything evidently

[Dawn OOC]

All right - for those who are done, please make a profile post with your stats and background to signal your readiness.

[The Mariner]

Are you starting something shortly?

[Dawn OOC]

Are you starting something shortly?

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Not until we have people who have at least posted a character sheet.

[SalmonMax]

Oops...sorry. Didn't think things through. Figured I could just edit...didn't occur to me I'd have to submit it for review.

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Edit - I reread what I have for Hannigan...and there's no locality built in. No editing required to suit the new city. I originally intended for her to be in New York, but she could fit in anywhere there was a lot of financial sector work and unscrupulous corporations to bilk.

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I think I'm good!

[Sailor OOC]

I'm going to be honest. Re-wrapping Ensign as The Mariner isn't working in my head. I think I'll build a new character and drop the Mariner idea. With a character in Justin's game that is also a lot like Mariner in a way, I think it's better to build a different character at this point.

[Rebecca Baines]

Speaking of characters *whistles innocently...*

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I'm going to meet up with Heri and a couple others to tighten the concept, but... I think a form of the old Rebecca is coming back.

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And before you ask, -yes- This is my character I want to replace Ensign with.

[Gabriel Stone]

There will be no change for Bastion. All I have to say is he goes to college in the city (since he can commute from Montana in only 13 minutes). Either way, he has a dorm, is considered a resident of the city and all that, but like all college kids, he takes his laundry home every weekend.

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I'll be posting his character sheet shortly.

[Rebecca Baines]

Well I should have Rebecca ready in a couple days. It's taking time to get this done as I've been sorting out some other things that have come up. That and Monday was not a productive day.

[Rebecca Baines]

Okay hit a snag. It's the Permanent and Innate Growth I have to assign to this Mecha and the feasibility of this character.

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Now considering the fact I need to be at PL 10, I know my caps in the Toughness vs Parry/Dodge. Here is where I stand with Growth. The growth assigned to the vehicle (as the Gadget Guide: Mecha says a Mecha is designed as a Vehicle and bought as equipment) takes it to Size Rank 1, well at least with the size I am going for. This is what the Growth grants and penalizes:

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Size Rank 1

Height/Length: 60ft

Active Defense: -6

Stealth: -12

Intimidation: +6

Strength: +12

Stamina: +12 (this becomes a Toughness score as a Mecha is built like a construct and thus has no Stamina)

Speed: +1 (this applies only to ground speed)

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So here is the thing. I don't see my mecha being a plodding bullet sponge. If you are wondering what I am basing this mecha design off of, it's a Veritech. If you guys remember Robotech, a Veritech is a fast, highly maneuverable beast, but not that tough as it's built out of light alloys and such, and not known for it's strength, at best a Veritech should have Strength 6.

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Can anything be done on the STR/TOU scale to reduce the active defense penalty?

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Also the other major snag is with the way this is going, Rebecca should be built more like a ordinary person (thus spending PP like I was a lower power level) and she only really has any business tangling with supers in her mecha or with lots of assistance.

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These two snags are pointing some doubts to this build in general. So, I'm asking for assistance, or if this is looking more like an impossible build, I'll just try a different character.

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Addendum: What I am shooting for is 52 feet in height in mecha mode or the same size in Jet mode... does it fall below the threshold for Size Rank 1, and qualify for Size Rank 0 (the minimum for what I can logically pilot as a human?)

[SalmonMax]

You can't just whiff away the defense penalty. Your mecha is HUGE. 60 feet tall! That's the side of a pretty giant barn, and thus is easy to hit.

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What you CAN do is set up a tradeoff. Increase the PL defense cap by reducing it's toughness cap. Then buy levels of Enhanced Defense to offset the penalty.

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This will result in a strangely fast and graceful huge machine, which is nowhere near as tough and resistant to damage as a device that size would normally be.

[Rebecca Baines]

Actually the size I'm shooting for is under 60 feet, Max. As such would it still be a Size 0?

[jameson (ST)]

Size rank 0 is 30 feet tall or bigger but smaller than size rank 1 which is 60 feet and larger, so if you are shooting for less than 60 but more tan 30 use size rank 0.

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Secondly, as Max says, when you have a walking building there is a factor of size, mass, and inertia to deal with in regards to dodge and parry, making a 50 foot tall mech than can move like a martial artist 1/10 its size is ... disingenuous to a certain extent. I don't know who approves things here but my rule of thumb is that the stated Strength and Stamina/Toughness bonus from size is also the bare minimum that those stats can be - period. Steel and aircraft grade aluminum, titanium and ceramic, or some kind of alien alloy, regardless there is some kind of implied toughness and strength there for a thing that size to be able to do what it does. Just my 2 cents

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Lastly ...

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Also the other major snag is with the way this is going, Rebecca should be built more like a ordinary person (thus spending PP like I was a lower power level) and she only really has any business tangling with supers in her mecha or with lots of assistance.

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You are making a mecha pilot of COURSE they are going to be at their best inside the mecha. THAT IS THE POINT. If you want a guy who is able to run around toe to toe with paragons without his mecha as well as he does within ... well I submit you aren't actually interested in playing a mecha pilot.

[jameson (ST)]

As a related aside, the 2nd Ed Mecha and Manga book has a knock off Veritech with a humanoid form Toughness of +10, and a Dodge of +0 (yeah, you read that right, plus zero)

[Rebecca Baines]

Yeah, Size 0 does help a lot in terms of the build, bringing it in line with a more even PL10 design, allowing for better defenses as well.

Although I think investing in some good countermeasures when being dodgy won't help would be good.

[Rebecca Baines]

I think I would be far more satisfied making a simpler concept. This should not take long.