Charm City Overview:
So that you don’t start reading the campaign logs from my Mutants & Masterminds campaign totally blind I am offering a little information to help set the tone and give readers a feel for the world and the characters.
THE PCs: All PL10
Alchemy – Alec Holgate. A scientist and mutant. Transmutation due to nanotech infusion combined with absorption and some other talents.
Themis – Helen Troya. Named for a Greek titan. Powers of flight, super strength, and the ability to temporarily steal the powers of others.
Shield – Peter Evans. Wealthy sponsor of the team’s financial needs. A speedster and powerful empathic healer. Able to regenerate.
Dr. Prometheus – The real Prometheus of myth. An immortal, and a wielder of cosmic power.
Pagan – Aya Cade. Precognitive/Postcognitive, telepath.
At some later point I will post character sheets for the PCs. I gave the players the first 3 or 4 sessions to solidify their character information since we’re all getting used to the new system. We’ve only played three sessions so far and I’m only halfway done writing up session #1.
The group is still debating a team name.
THE WORLD
The Charm City campaign takes place in an alternate universe from our own in what in our world would be Baltimore City. Things are a bit different, not just because of the existence of super powered beings, but in other not so obvious ways.
The campaign style is somewhere between 4-color comic and grim & gritty with elements of each extreme mixed in at the appropriate times. Heroes are expected to act the part and not indiscriminately butcher foes or disregard the property of others … but with all things nobody and nothing is perfect.
In the universe of Charm City there are some important setting elements at play in shaping the present world. Those will be detailed below with a discussion of how they affect past and current events. A brief timeline is included to help explain how some events came about.
Metahumans have been around for a long time in many forms. How they get their powers is always a debate, but it is now accepted that these strange abilities have many sources, not a single definable event.
TIMELINE:
1977 – There had been long debate in the United Nations about the involvement of metahumans in the national militaries and thus international conflicts for several years after the end of the Vietnam War. Several incidents involving powered individuals serving in national militaries in numerous locations around the globe were seen as nearly igniting World War III. Over the course of several months the U.N. created and passed a measure designed to defuse the tension.
1978 - The Metahuman Non-Militarization Resolution went into full effect, banning the use of powered individuals in national militaries and authorized heavy economic and potential military sanctions against nations found to be in violation. Use of metahumans in civil law enforcement was left as an exception to the rule. The purpose of the measure was to prevent a metahuman arms race that would rival and maybe exceed the dangers of the nuclear arms race already threatening the globe. A side effect of this measure was that few nations would be willing to authorize a U.N. sponsored team of metahumans, citing national sovereignty issues, thus to date, no sanctioned U.N. team exists.
1980 – An attempt to rescue hostages held in Iran failed. Although never publicly acknowledged, there was some speculation that a metahuman among the ranks of Muslim extremists was to blame. This has mostly been discounted.
1985 – World famous scientist Alburt Tesling put forward his theory that this universe was one of many along strands of universes, much like strands of DNA, issuing from junction universes. The theory postulates that this world is approximately the 19th along a branch strand possibly 24 universes long. Using the Greek alphabet he labeled this universe Tau, and thus this planet Earth Tau or Earth-T.
Later that year he was presumed dead when an implosion occurred at his lab. His lab was permanently sealed by the government and his body was never recovered.
1986 – Public outcry and increasing amounts of litigation in the United States lead to Federal and State governments requiring insurance companies to devise and offer some form of Metahuman Disaster insurance.
The protection is often in the form of additional coverage offered along with home, business, car, and medical insurance. Also insurance is offered to government agencies. A form of liability insurance is offered for metahumans to buy if they choose to cover for their own actions. Only a few are known to have purchased the liability coverage, but there are very active advertising campaigns trying to encourage more powered individuals to do so “for the good of their neighbors and the country”.
Any metahuman organization with an operating headquarters may be required by law to carry liability coverage depending on the laws in the municipality or state in which they operate. Some zoning laws also include clauses concerning such requirements.
1993 – The Libertarian, a powered individual known for his fervent anti-war protesting and espousing of free-love/free drugs in the late 1960’s, gave his life absorbing most of the blast damage from the truck bomb used by terrorists to attack the World Trade Center in New York. He saved thousands of lives with his last heroic act and despite never having been fondly thought of by “the establishment”, was given a funeral with national honors and international television coverage.
He was age 49 and a stock broker at the time of the event.
2001 – September 11th, terrorists hijacked planes and flew them into both towers of the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon. A 4th plane was downed in Pennsylvania before it could strike any buildings. None of the known precognitive metahumans has admitted to pre-knowledge of the event, and no post-cognitive seems to have learned much from any of the debris at the sites.
2002 – October 31st, After two years of work a six story hexagonal black glass tower was completed atop the site of Fort Carroll in the harbor. The property of wealthy industrialist Nathan Alexander Black, this was not only the new headquarters for his businesses, but his home as well. The top floor holds his penthouse. Below the main six floors, in what used to be the fort are 4 more floors below the surface. Tunnels that had been below the fort since before the Civil War have been renovated and a tram-shuttle put in place to move workers to and from the shorelines. At the outset of the project, a number of organizations favoring historical preservation over development had protested and engaged Mr. Black in court battles. He won handily after the primary movers & shakers in the protest group were discovered to be part of a child pornography ring. Support for blocking development evaporated and the project began. To show his understanding for the concern of those whose interest was preserving history, Mr. Black had the first above-ground floor, and his reception lobby arranged as a museum dedicated to the history of Fort Carroll and its builders. Some still scoff at the project referring to it by several derogatory names (Tower of Doom, Dark Tower, Black Fortress, etc).
Nathan Alexander Black is owner and CEO of Modern Idea Company, Inc. which is a conglomerate of smaller companies in numerous fields.
2003 – January 5th, Work is completed on the new headquarters building on Pier 5. The newly formed and as yet unnamed team of heroes begins preparing it for use. Peter Evans the financial sponsor of the new team begins paying liability insurance for all homes, and private businesses within an 8 block radius of the building.
Starting Game Play Date: January 24th 2003
So that you don’t start reading the campaign logs from my Mutants & Masterminds campaign totally blind I am offering a little information to help set the tone and give readers a feel for the world and the characters.
THE PCs: All PL10
Alchemy – Alec Holgate. A scientist and mutant. Transmutation due to nanotech infusion combined with absorption and some other talents.
Themis – Helen Troya. Named for a Greek titan. Powers of flight, super strength, and the ability to temporarily steal the powers of others.
Shield – Peter Evans. Wealthy sponsor of the team’s financial needs. A speedster and powerful empathic healer. Able to regenerate.
Dr. Prometheus – The real Prometheus of myth. An immortal, and a wielder of cosmic power.
Pagan – Aya Cade. Precognitive/Postcognitive, telepath.
At some later point I will post character sheets for the PCs. I gave the players the first 3 or 4 sessions to solidify their character information since we’re all getting used to the new system. We’ve only played three sessions so far and I’m only halfway done writing up session #1.
The group is still debating a team name.
THE WORLD
The Charm City campaign takes place in an alternate universe from our own in what in our world would be Baltimore City. Things are a bit different, not just because of the existence of super powered beings, but in other not so obvious ways.
The campaign style is somewhere between 4-color comic and grim & gritty with elements of each extreme mixed in at the appropriate times. Heroes are expected to act the part and not indiscriminately butcher foes or disregard the property of others … but with all things nobody and nothing is perfect.
In the universe of Charm City there are some important setting elements at play in shaping the present world. Those will be detailed below with a discussion of how they affect past and current events. A brief timeline is included to help explain how some events came about.
Metahumans have been around for a long time in many forms. How they get their powers is always a debate, but it is now accepted that these strange abilities have many sources, not a single definable event.
TIMELINE:
1977 – There had been long debate in the United Nations about the involvement of metahumans in the national militaries and thus international conflicts for several years after the end of the Vietnam War. Several incidents involving powered individuals serving in national militaries in numerous locations around the globe were seen as nearly igniting World War III. Over the course of several months the U.N. created and passed a measure designed to defuse the tension.
1978 - The Metahuman Non-Militarization Resolution went into full effect, banning the use of powered individuals in national militaries and authorized heavy economic and potential military sanctions against nations found to be in violation. Use of metahumans in civil law enforcement was left as an exception to the rule. The purpose of the measure was to prevent a metahuman arms race that would rival and maybe exceed the dangers of the nuclear arms race already threatening the globe. A side effect of this measure was that few nations would be willing to authorize a U.N. sponsored team of metahumans, citing national sovereignty issues, thus to date, no sanctioned U.N. team exists.
1980 – An attempt to rescue hostages held in Iran failed. Although never publicly acknowledged, there was some speculation that a metahuman among the ranks of Muslim extremists was to blame. This has mostly been discounted.
1985 – World famous scientist Alburt Tesling put forward his theory that this universe was one of many along strands of universes, much like strands of DNA, issuing from junction universes. The theory postulates that this world is approximately the 19th along a branch strand possibly 24 universes long. Using the Greek alphabet he labeled this universe Tau, and thus this planet Earth Tau or Earth-T.
Later that year he was presumed dead when an implosion occurred at his lab. His lab was permanently sealed by the government and his body was never recovered.
1986 – Public outcry and increasing amounts of litigation in the United States lead to Federal and State governments requiring insurance companies to devise and offer some form of Metahuman Disaster insurance.
The protection is often in the form of additional coverage offered along with home, business, car, and medical insurance. Also insurance is offered to government agencies. A form of liability insurance is offered for metahumans to buy if they choose to cover for their own actions. Only a few are known to have purchased the liability coverage, but there are very active advertising campaigns trying to encourage more powered individuals to do so “for the good of their neighbors and the country”.
Any metahuman organization with an operating headquarters may be required by law to carry liability coverage depending on the laws in the municipality or state in which they operate. Some zoning laws also include clauses concerning such requirements.
1993 – The Libertarian, a powered individual known for his fervent anti-war protesting and espousing of free-love/free drugs in the late 1960’s, gave his life absorbing most of the blast damage from the truck bomb used by terrorists to attack the World Trade Center in New York. He saved thousands of lives with his last heroic act and despite never having been fondly thought of by “the establishment”, was given a funeral with national honors and international television coverage.
He was age 49 and a stock broker at the time of the event.
2001 – September 11th, terrorists hijacked planes and flew them into both towers of the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon. A 4th plane was downed in Pennsylvania before it could strike any buildings. None of the known precognitive metahumans has admitted to pre-knowledge of the event, and no post-cognitive seems to have learned much from any of the debris at the sites.
2002 – October 31st, After two years of work a six story hexagonal black glass tower was completed atop the site of Fort Carroll in the harbor. The property of wealthy industrialist Nathan Alexander Black, this was not only the new headquarters for his businesses, but his home as well. The top floor holds his penthouse. Below the main six floors, in what used to be the fort are 4 more floors below the surface. Tunnels that had been below the fort since before the Civil War have been renovated and a tram-shuttle put in place to move workers to and from the shorelines. At the outset of the project, a number of organizations favoring historical preservation over development had protested and engaged Mr. Black in court battles. He won handily after the primary movers & shakers in the protest group were discovered to be part of a child pornography ring. Support for blocking development evaporated and the project began. To show his understanding for the concern of those whose interest was preserving history, Mr. Black had the first above-ground floor, and his reception lobby arranged as a museum dedicated to the history of Fort Carroll and its builders. Some still scoff at the project referring to it by several derogatory names (Tower of Doom, Dark Tower, Black Fortress, etc).
Nathan Alexander Black is owner and CEO of Modern Idea Company, Inc. which is a conglomerate of smaller companies in numerous fields.
2003 – January 5th, Work is completed on the new headquarters building on Pier 5. The newly formed and as yet unnamed team of heroes begins preparing it for use. Peter Evans the financial sponsor of the new team begins paying liability insurance for all homes, and private businesses within an 8 block radius of the building.
Starting Game Play Date: January 24th 2003
