Brainstorm for a Metahuman universe - Meta-Republic

[Shades of Eternity]

I just had a crazy brainstorm creating a new superhero universe inspired by the marvel's 50 state initiative. I'm open to any and all feedback.

https://breadthofpopsanity.blogspot.com/2024/03/meta-republic-superheros-legislated.html

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Quite the read!

What kinds of gaps are you looking to fill?

 

[Shades of Eternity]

I think I was having a kublai khan moment.

i was lamenting about how badly the 50 states initiative was done and the raw potential.

Then I started stewing on this era and how it could have been a lot different

so one legally distinct brainstorm later and i got a writeup.

However, no idea on what superhero rpg to use for the crunch. Any ideas?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

However, no idea on what superhero rpg to use for the crunch. Any ideas?

That’s entirely a personal preference. I’m a HERO fanboi (for everything) since its introduction as Champions. Mutants & Masterminds is probably my #2 supers game.

But there’s dozens of solid supers RPGs out there, old and new, each with strengths and weaknesses. In addition to the above, my own collection includes Aberrant, Brave New World, Underground, Silver Age Sentinels D20, Heroes Unlimited, Justice Machine, Godlike and probably a few more. I’ve even got some GURPS resources on hand.

A couple of those are very flexible; others are really tied to a particular era, power levels or style of play.

Obviously, most of those in my collection are older games; many more have hit the shelves. Here’s a thread from late last year that reveals even more:

Favorite superhero RPGs?

What makes a good superhero RPG for you? Which ones have you read? Which have you played or run? What do you like about the games, the genre, and the stories? What's your favorite superhero RPG? Let's see. There's classic TSR Marvel Super Heroes. Marvel SAGA. Marvel Universe. Marvel Heroic...

www.enworld.org

What you need to figure out is what level of complexity and flexibility works best for you & your group, and see if you can find a system that matches your preferences.

That thread I linked to was active as of January 2024. You might find it helpful to post in that thread to get an overview of the dozens of systems mentioned by people who’ve actually used them!

 

[Tonguez]

You seem to have everything covered for a comprehensive setting combining Superhero Registration, Military oversight, Superohero rights vs Human Resistance

 

[Shades of Eternity]

Okay can i get any and all gene editing extrapolations that, with a little tweaking, could be used for superpowers? Mostly looking for real news stories that could be exaggerated, but also your own musings of the limit of the genome for abilities?

Ex. I am thinking a superhero that draws on dolly parton and dolly the sheep.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Okay can i get any and all gene editing extrapolations that, with a little tweaking, could be used for superpowers? Mostly looking for real news stories that could be exaggerated, but also your own musings of the limit of the genome for abilities?

Ex. I am thinking a superhero that draws on dolly parton and dolly the sheep.

Well, there’s all kinds of gene splicing that has occurred in assorted RW labs: sterilized mosquitoes, glowing mice, fluorescent fish, goats that exude spider silk proteins from their udders, etc.

Dolly-Dolly might be kind, gentle, have a great voice (like Ofc. Laverne Hooks from the Police Academy movies) and naturally big…hair.

 

[Tonguez]

This Story appeared in Popular Mechanics Scientists Put Tardigrade DNA Into Human Stem Cells. They May Create Super Soldiers. APR 04, 2023

Chinese military scientists believe inserting a gene from the microscopic tardigrade into a human embryonic stem can help significantly increase the cells’ ability to withstand radiation and believe the cells may improve a humans ability to withstand radiation and potentially other diseases.
“Researchers said success in this unprecedented experiment could lead to super-tough soldiers who could survive nuclear fallout”

According to the report,

• The researchers were interested in novel treatments for acute radiation syndrome, and set out to explore whether the genetic sequence in tardigrades that leads to Dsup (Damage Suppressor Protien) being produced could be inserted into human cells.
• The researchers used the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tool to take genes from the water bear that produce shielding proteins and insert them into artificially cultured (a distinction the team claims made the experiment legal) human embryonic cells. This reportedly allowed the cells to survive “lethal exposure to X-ray radiation.”

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

This Story appeared in Popular Mechanics Scientists Put Tardigrade DNA Into Human Stem Cells. They May Create Super Soldiers. APR 04, 2023

Chinese military scientists believe inserting a gene from the microscopic tardigrade into a human embryonic stem can help significantly increase the cells’ ability to withstand radiation and believe the’s cells improve a human's ability to withstand radiation and potentially other diseases.
“[Researchers] said success in this unprecedented experiment could lead to super-tough soldiers who could survive nuclear fallout”

According to the report,

• The researchers were interested in novel treatments for acute radiation syndrome, and set out to explore whether the genetic sequence in tardigrades that leads to Dsup (Damage Suppressor Protien) being produced could be inserted into human cells.
• Thevresearchers used the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tool to take genes from the water bear that produce shielding proteins and insert them into an artificially cultured (a distinction the team claims made the experiment legal) human embryonic cells. This reportedly allowed the cells to survive “lethal exposure to X-ray radiation.”

FYI, tardigrade DNA-spliced humans are a plot point for one of the characters in The Ark.

The Ark (2023) | ScreenRant

The Ark is a sci-fi mystery series that follows the crew members of Ark One, a spacecraft seeking to find new places to colonize for humanity's continued survival. When Ark One finds itself in the middle of a catastrophic event that results in a significant loss of life, the crew members must...

screenrant.com

 

[Tonguez]

This came up from the Guardian this morning Scientist who gene-edited babies is back in lab and ‘proud’ of past work despite jailing

The twins born in 2019 are now 5 and healthy (currently no manifest superpowers but possibly immune to HIV)