Prince said
I'm being provided with a lot of structural ideas, which is great. What I would like are... comic references, themes, general plot ideas, maybe some reference work to some specific heroes or groups. You had to be inspired by something. Show me what. I want to review whatever it is that we're working on, see what the critical acclaim is, use my social engineering skills to see how I can apply that to a collaborative storytelling adventure. Basically, I need the meat to the bones, and I'm really doing this for you guys, so... bam.

I heavily suggest that you (And anyone reading) look into the web novel Worm. It's easily the best super hero setting I've ever read, and blows Marvel and DC out of the water in terms of writing.

I have always been a fan of the gritty superhero sagas where morality and mortality play a large part. My superhero combatant, General Freedom, who I use in the arena, struggles with his ‘ethical’ right to intervene with his powers against those without or lesser power sets.

In prior superhero RPs I have been involved with, the dystopian setting, the darkness of the meta-story and the struggle for hope have been elements I find enjoyable, drawing me into the setting, and because I am invested, I tend to be more active.

One of my favorite storylines was the Dark Knight: Returns series by Frank Miller. The Watchmen, Judge Dread, Grendel and The Punisher are other examples of comic series that stimulate my imagination. I accept the fact that I am probably in the minority in this regard, but it will not stop me from checking out the progress and join this RP if the setting appeals to me.

I'd be up for a more gritty setting.

I don't really object to a darker setting or narrative. I rather like works that have that same conflicting morality/mortality that Skallagrim mentioned, though I appreciate when there is some disparity in that aspect. The whole "too much of a good thing" argument.

To mention a few examples of inspirational material of a darker kind I suppose Berserk (manga), Dark Souls (I love the lore involved with the games, though I favor the first one), the Shin Megami Tensei series (and a few of its older spin-offs), and (though I suppose it not everyone would consider it to fit that description) the Megaman Zero series on GBA. Unfortunately for me, I don't know of many "darker" superhero series besides those centered around Batman, so I can't say I can give much direct reference material.

Also, in case anyone missed it, I added onto my previous post in this thread to explain a few other things that inspire me to write.

I love the modern setting and the character development. My favorite universe is that of the X-Men, a world where its not quite so black and white, good vs. evil. Where both sides are fighting for what they believe in, and can sometimes come together to better their cause.

Alright, just tossing this out there. You want something dark and gritty, but at the same time modern. I have two alternative ideas that I prefer a lot.

a) an earlier era, such as the depression or possibly post-depression. We could also lead into that with war years/roaring 20's.

b) a still earlier, but not 'as' early - 80's/90's era.

The benefits to these, generally, are that I can use pre-existing events, people, etc. instead of being like "It's 2014, let me predict the god damned future" - basically, it secures a sense of realism. I offer an even earlier one because we have a LOT of historic documentation and events that go that far back, so we have a lot to work with from dates, events, etc. We can make a world more "realistic" because we knew more about it. Alternatively, if you guys aren't up for something 'that' far back, if we make it into the 80's and 90's, we can at least give some suspension of disbelief to advanced tech that's not cyberpunk level, as to give a James Bond feel to some characters. Basically, by going a bit back, we allow for a lot more room to work with and a stronger setting, imo. We can deal with those big, gritty moral issues as they were seen back then more objectively.

I like the idea of a later setting, like the eighties or nineties (maybe late nineties). Also, how common are supderhumans (or whatever other species you might want to be) and are they organized?

In response to those two questions I suggest it being uncommon for people with powers to exist. As interesting as a world filled with super powerful beings might be, I think a quote from The Incredibles sums it up well enough. "Everyone can be super. And when everyone is super, no one will be."

As for them being organized or not, there are positives and negatives to both of those options, and they both bring different dynamics to the table depending on how they're played. On the one hand we have groups like the Justice League, Avengers, and (though I'm not too familiar with them, I believe they fit the bill) Watchmen. On the other we have a series of separated/unaffiliated individuals/groups of superheroes presiding over their own "territory". Or we could do a combination of the two by having separate larger groups protecting larger areas or countries that are further broken down into smaller areas and protectedby individual heroes or teams.

I believe we should be defining super and then addressing how the characters become such. In general, there are four main types of characters that are considered superheroes:



Now, my question is: what do you want in this roleplay, why and for what reasons? For instance, do we want to make it as open as the Marvel and DC Universe with mutants, aliens, Gods, etc., or do we want to simplify it down? Do we want to bend the superhero genre into more a magic realism genre by maybe implementing a whole world similar to Static Shock's big plot with Bangbabies being mutants, essentially, while a task force of characters highly trained and similar to Captain America and/or Deathstroke being sent to hunt them down? Maybe we could put a twist on it that the mutations continue, something like the X-Gene? We could eliminate the paranormal and supernatural all together from the RP, but still keep some fantastical and even "superpowered" aspects to it?

Or, do we want to go full blown celestial universe where this all plays into some plan and is eventually intervened by the ancient Greek Gods to stop the second Trojan War caused by the Apple of Discord that was actually the cause of the mutations, having characters paralleling the story of the Iliad with a 90's twist on it, including Diomedes, Achilles, Paras, Hellen, etc.?

Those are just two thought-out examples. I'm preferential to the first one myself, but that's because I feel that a strong, simple plot to expand on later is best than a complex one involving a huge array of characters with diverse backgrounds being stitched together.

We also only have one person's opinion on the era for the RP. I'm personally all for starting out in the Roaring Twenties, but that is just my preference. I love doing historical research and making feasible plots. If you see a common trend in this, it's that I'm personally for diluting the "super" part of super. That's just what I would like. Don't be afraid to completely contradict that. I didn't make what I would like right off the bat for a reason and I'm not sticking to my guns here; I'm all up for you guys leaning it in different directions. I'm just trying to guide it.

Also, Worm is long as Hell with no brief synopsis in sight. I'm all for research, but that would take a while.

The really interesting idea I have in mind is what if we had superhumans vs. mutants while the superhumans slowly mutate, realizing that the only difference between them and the mutants they're fighting/killing is that the mutants had a bigger dose and mutated faster. They would face the crisis of identity and loyalty, as well as the uncertainty of how they would end up as the mutants themselves haven't stopped mutating yet some do become unstable to a fatal degree. They could face mutants with the same ideals as both Xavier and Magneto, except that in this case, its more clearcut what caused the mutations. Again, tossing out what I find interesting, but also tossing out the structural ideas I'm looking for here.

I'd probably prefer sometime around the 80s if anything and probably the more realistic of the options you've listed.

The roaring twenties sounds like fun. A new and interesting setting that today's media tells me was an interesting time for crime. The 90s were great, but I lived through that decade, so been there done that. Music was awesome though.

And I have to agree with the first simplified plot. It gives a base for a more elaborate plot to be developed. If you start out with such an open world, I feel things can turn to mush quite easily and quickly. A simplified plot keeps the players focused and players are less likely to stray the story off.

So far, I've got two people up for the nineties, two people (including myself) up for something earlier like the Roaring Twenties, and three people interested in a more simplified, controlled plot. I'd like a little bit more input and the balances to be swayed slightly before I go on, but we are heading in a constructive direction.

Additionally, I want you guys to make some contingencies for if things don't quite go your way. Plan for yourself, "Well, if it does turnout this way" what will you do? What would you like to see in the other setting or style? What kind of compromise might you like to see to make it more enjoyable for yourself if you weren't initially keen on the choice made? For instance, I was ready to try and define the aspects of mysticism and the paranormal, and still am, even though this roleplay appears to have a more scientific twist to it. What plans and compromises do you have and what can you offer to the table?

The first plot in a twenties setting sounds interesting. I don't really have a preference for settings other than there is ample freedom in the world to develop characters beyond a central casting template.

A core group of heroes with some independants thst drift on and off the roster could be a good starting point.

hmm...well the character I had in mind was in fact a god, though not one of the traditional greek or romans that we are all used to. I'm sure I can fit her in any timeline. But I seriously lack the knowledge and experience of RPing in the 20s. So I would be more incline to support the 80s/90s era.

But I seriously lack the knowledge and experience of RPing in the 20s

Roleplaying in the 20's wouldn't be terribly hard. I'll pick a year our and then send some reference links. Historical roleplaying is a bit tough at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's really fun to have that much depth to toy with. And, I'm fairly sure we won't be sticklers about inconsistencies. If that is your concern, that is.

Also, I personally dislike the idea of allowing a "god" in anywhere. For instance, give one character Thor. You then have an outlier far outside of Captain America. I mean, Thor and the Hulk box for fun. So...

Yeah, though this character isnt to par with Thor. She is significantly less powerful. Technically in mythology she isn't even a god, more of a heroic figure. I can PM you the details if you like.

You can go ahead and do that, but we're still piecing together elements of this RP, so it's not like anything I can say is definitive yet.

Hi, i'm in!.

Also I see allot of people having problems with power balance in these types of Rp's. I think we should do a thing like the gm chooses your powers based on a basic Character Skeleton.

I was part of an RP where I was delegated by character's power. I despised it, and though I tried to give it a chance, I found I lost interest quickly, due to being unable to connect with my character. Though character balance is important, I trust the GM to keep people in line. Putting a number limit on abilities doesn't sound like a bad idea, though.

Now, there is potential in that idea, but I don't think we should dictate the whole RP around it. First and foremost, there are a lot of roleplayers. Approving powers? Fine. Balancing powers? Also fine. Creating a cool, individual power or skills for each character? No. Not doing that. Besides, it cramps creativity. I'm going to jump in on this one and say that immediately delegating all powers to me and my choices is a no go.

But, now let's say we have a super soldier beginning to mutate, I might choose the mutation. Or let's say we have a hero with the formula who has an ability, but he's mutating further as well. I might choose how that power "evolves" - that's fine. That's cool. That adds a really neat environment character that a roleplayer can adapt to, but I'm not going to do something like that before the roleplayers are even comfortable with their characters.

I like that idea. I'll even shelf it for later, and let you guys go over it, but that is my stance there.