Ultra Modern is a game in which players create cool, stylish celebrities who glide through the post-modern discordancy of an alternate Earth with a martini in one hand and a ball of plasma in the other. You see, these particular cool, stylish celebrities are "ultras" – those who, in other worlds, might be called super-heroes.

Your character is part of a team of these ultras – well, not so much a team, as a clique, perhaps – that the press has taken to calling the Ultra Moderns. Amidst a busy schedule of partying, public appearances, scientific discoveries, and metaphysical experimentation, you do find the time to save the world from the odd evil mastermind or unstoppable monster.

Here's a short list of media references to get you in the mood:

1960's Mod scene in London & New York – for fashion, lifestyle, and fun!
British TV spy shows featuring a touch of eccentricity and paranoia, e.g. Secret Agent Man, The Avengers (esp. the Emma Peel years), The Prisoner – for how to fight evil weirdness while being fabulous
1970's films: Logan's Run; Rollerball; A Clockwork Orange; 2001: A Space Odyssey - for visions of the future that come from the past
Michael Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius books – for all of the above, plus a taste of the chaos of a rapidly-changing, deconstructing world
Grant Morrison's The Invisibles – the same, but a more modern and outlandish take

The date is approximately 2,000 years after the calendar year usually ascribed to the birth of Christ, with an error margin of ±35 years. Because this is a minimalist game, I do not have a detailed alternate timeline of events for this world (additionally, ultras, and most of the Western world in general, aren't particularly interested in history, anyway). You may safely assume that most events in our world have some sort of analog in the world of Ultra Modern. You will also discover elements of this world that are very different from our reality. Further, you may discover that some elements of the game's reality appear to contradict others (e.g. "The U.S. won the war in Viet Nam" vs. "the U.S. lost the war in Viet Nam."). In all cases, assume that both elements are true in some way.

What is the tech level? It depends on the plot. It can be generally assumed that the Ultra Moderns (and their foes) have access to tech that the general public does not possess. There may be instances of alternate technology (e.g. micro digital A/V tapes instead of DVD's, credit discs instead of credit cards), but this is mostly to promote the anachronistic, otherworldly atmosphere.

One important difference: The Internet. The ad revenue model failed miserably in this world early on, and everything is pay-for-access. It's much more a toy for the well-off than it is a playground/troll farm of the masses.

No one knows how ultras (the ones with "natural" abilities, anyway) get their powers. While some ultras refuse testing, others have submitted to a battery of tests to determine what makes an ultra an ultra. All such tests have turned up exactly nothing. One day, you woke up able to melt through steel with your eyes, or juggle buses. I guess some secrets are meant to be kept secret, darling.

Some things to consider while pondering character ideas:

Most ultras don't have a secret ID. Really, what's the point of some fictional entity getting the credit for your brilliance? Also, an alter ego is easy to imitate, and there's money to be made in endorsements and public appearances. Anyone could wear the mask and the spandex…

Most ultras don't use code names, but some have nicknames. Your ultra's own name must have that certain stylish sound to it. Quentin Wilde and Sebastian Summerfield are two NPC's with typically stylish names.

While the 1960's Mod Scene is the dominant motif, your ultra doesn't have to follow it: there's room for gymnasts in black vinyl bodysuits, super-nerds loaded with spherical white plastic gadgets, Victorian or Edwardian throwbacks, fantastically-colored ethnic costumes, schoolboy/schoolgirl fixations, shadowy figures of dark magic, etc… Create a style, but own it.

Not all ultras are super-wealthy, but your character at least has enough to live a life of leisure (punctuated with battles against tentacled horrors or the brain-washed militia of self-proclaimed messiahs). This money comes from a complex array of endorsement deals, action figures, fashion labels, and other investment schemes driven primarily by the worth of your own celebrityhood and the occasional cash reward. Obviously to maintain this cash flow, you have to be seen to be fashionably larger than life as often as possible.

This doesn't mean your ultra has to be jet-setting Eurotrash, but he has to be willing to put himself out there. Dark, brooding, silent heroes are not appropriate character archetypes for this game.

There will be fighting, intrigue, and some time for slice-of-life stuff. I see this one as going free-form: you'd create a character, provide a brief outline of powers, and we'll go from there.

As far as power levels go, the Ultra Moderns are pretty darn powerful. Think first-line Avengers powerful.