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1%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
2
3[[quoteright:400:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Freedom_City_Skyline.jpg]]
4[[caption-width-right:400:"Like a {{Saturday Morning Cartoon}} that airs on {{Creator/HBO}}."]]
5
6Created in 2007 and currently in its fifteenth year of operation, ''[[https://www.freedomplaybypost.com/ Freedom City Play-By-Post]]'' is the oldest and most active [[PlayByPostGames play-by-post]] setting on TheInternet for ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'', the superhero role-playing game by Creator/GreenRonin. Taking place (mostly) in ''M&M'''s default ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' setting, in the present day, the game has become a massive {{Shared Universe}}, involving dozens of active players with over a hundred {{Player Character}}s. Most of the staff are fans of both superhero comics and ''Website/TVTropes'', and they welcome characters who draw from the common [[ComicBookTropes tropes and themes]] of superhero comic books.
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8The default game setting is the "World of Freedom" described in ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' and its supplements. In 2016, ''[[https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/55497/Bedlam-City?manufacturers_id=547 Bedlam City]]'' from [[https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/547/Plain-Brown-Wrapper-Games Plain Brown Wrapper Games]] was integrated into the FCPBP game world. In 2019, the city of Vibora Bay was imported from the ''{{TabletopGame/Champions}}'' setting.
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10This isn't the place for bloodthirsty [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Iron Age]] vigilantes, or for superheroes who think that [[NotWearingTights the whole idea of superheroes is silly]]. The feel of our {{Player Character}}s falls somewhere between the [[MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]], the [[MediaNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]], and the [[MediaNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks Modern Age]]. They're all basically the [[WhiteAndGreyMorality Good Guys]]. Character concepts should pass tests like "Would people buy a comic book about this character?" and "Why would anyone talk to this character?" If your character would fit into the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse, then they'll probably fit in here, too.
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12Many of the tropes in this game can be found on the pages for the ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' role-playing game, or the ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' setting for that game. This page is intended for tropes unique to ''FCPBP'' and its [[Characters/FreedomCityPlayByPost characters]].
13
14----
15!!This play-by-post setting provides examples of:
16* ActionGirl: The {{superhero}} genre is brimming with this trope, and ''FCPBP'' is no exception. Most, if not all, female [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] count. Examples include, but are far from limited to, [[BadassNormal Crimson Tiger]], [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Lady Horus]], [[{{Magitek}} Salvo]], [[ScienceHero Justice]] and [[SuperSpeed Velocity]].
17* AllThereInTheManual: Creator/GreenRonin has published a couple dozen supplements for the ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' setting, and most of the active players have read all of them. However, the FCPBP timeline diverged from the canon one between the 2nd and 3rd editions.
18* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Most [[PlayerCharacter PCs]], intentionally or not. See the individual listings in the [[Characters/FreedomCityPlayByPost Characters]] section for details.
19* AncientEgypt: Several [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] have origin stories that begin here, including the [[LegacyCharacter Scarab]], [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Set, Sekhmet and Lady Horus]].
20* AnimalSuperheroes: [[AlternateUniverse Ani-Earth]]'s [[AnthropomorphicShift Infurceptors]] visited Earth-Prime in pursuit of the Factor Fur. They included [[HurricaneOfPuns Avengemouse, Calico Angel, Feline, Foalcrum, Jackalope of All Blades, Jestnut and Lambkos]].
21* AnthologyComic: What the site would be, if it were an actual comic imprint. The Moderators encourage players to run their characters as if they were the protagonists of a monthly superhero comic book. One of the first questions in the auditing process for a new [[PlayerCharacter PC]] is "Why would someone buy a comic about them?"
22* TheAssimilator: The Communion, a player-created {{Expy}} of the ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' version of {{ComicBook/Galactus}}. The Collective is a HiveMind which uses mass MindRape and UnwillingRoboticization to transform entire planets into AppliedPhlebotinum.
23* AxCrazy: Generally [[AvertedTrope averted]]. [[VillainProtagonist PC Villains]] were banned in part because the Moderators grew weary of explaining to some players the difference between a SuperVillain and the protagonist of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto''.
24* BadassNormal: ''FCPBP'' has surprisingly few of these active at any one time. [[BareFistedMonk Crimson Tiger]] is the longest runner, having overtaken the original [[TrickArrow Arrowhawk]], who has retired. {{Badass Abnormal}}s (like Arrowhawk's daughter and AffirmativeActionLegacy) tend to be more popular.
25* BatFamilyCrossover: The most common type of crossover story arc at ''FCPBP'', given the sheer size of the site, and how difficult it is to coordinate a major story arc with dozens and dozens of players contributing.
26* BewareTheSuperman:
27** {{Averted|Trope}}. Except for the [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Iron Age]] in the '80s and early '90s, ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' has always loved its [[SuperHero superheroes]].
28** The "Terminus Babies" (see {{Mutants}}, below) are about as close as the setting comes to this trope, and they're not even official ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' canon.
29* TheBigEasy: Vibora Bay is located in the Florida Panhandle along the Gulf Coast, and the city's flavor is equal parts SouthernGothic and "New Orleans, TheThemeParkVersion".
30* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Often {{Subverted|Trope}}, much to the annoyance of older heroes with [[MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks stricter moral codes]]. ''FCPBP'' stories aren't explicit, but they are, at times, "for mature readers."
31%%* TheBoxingEpisode: "Fisticuffs," and the sequel, "Fisticuffs 2: This Time, It's Not Fisticuffs 1."
32* CanonImmigrant:
33** Several characters played at ''FCPBP'' were created for and/or played in other games over the years, especially the signature character of the site's former owner, Doktor Archeville.
34** The "Terminus Babies" concept created by Kit on the official ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' forum was integrated into the ''FCPBP'' canon, and it served as the MassSuperEmpoweringEvent for several [[PlayerCharacter PC]] heroes.
35* CanonWelding: In 2016, ''[[https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/55497/Bedlam-City?manufacturers_id=547 Bedlam City]]'' from [[https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/547/Plain-Brown-Wrapper-Games Plain Brown Wrapper Games]] was integrated into the FCPBP game world. In 2019, the city of Vibora Bay was imported from the ''{{TabletopGame/Champions}}'' setting.
36* CardboardPrison: [[VillainProtagonist PC Villains]] were banned in part to [[AvertedTrope avert]] this trope.
37%%* CastFullOfWriters
38* CatchPhrase: The players who often meet in the chatroom and/or [[InAndOutOfCharacter in-character]] make up a lot of these, including "Stab-Punch!" and "KISS HIM/HER, YOU FOOL!"
39* ComicBookFantasyCasting: ''FCPBP'' players periodically discuss which real-life actors they would cast as their character, and some even use real-life headshots for their "out-of-costume" character pictures.
40* ComicBookLimbo: The fate of characters whose players leave the site, or when a character is otherwise no longer played. While the characters are assumed to still exist, chances of them warranting much more than a brief mention are low.
41* ComicBookTime: Played straight for the individual stories as a matter of necessity, given the play-by-post format, but {{Averted|Trope}} for the overall SharedUniverse timeline, which moves forward in real time.
42* CrapsackWorld: {{Averted|Trope}} on Earth-Prime. The main universe of the ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' setting is an optimistic place, where most people are basically good, and most people love their [[SuperHero superheroes]]. Other dimensions, like ''[[StupidJetpackHitler Erde]]'' and the [[DeathWorld Terminus]], on the other hand...
43* CrisisCrossover:
44** The demonic invasion, when [[NobleDemon Hellion]]'s father came with a [[TheLegionsOfHell demonic host]] to bring him home. It wasn't technically a RedSkiesCrossover, but the skies above TabletopGame/FreedomCity were red...
45** The [[EasilyThwartedAlienInvasion third]] Grue [[AlienInvasion Invasion]], when they finally activated their [[PlayingWithSyringes experimental bio-weapon]], [[spoiler:[[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Atlas]]]]. (OhCrap.)
46** The "Halloween Special," where the fight between Hades and Baron Samedi spilled over into massive waves of undead and cultists flocking to ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity''.
47** "[=ArchEvil=]" had Doctor Archeville's SuperpoweredEvilSide finally take over and unleash a number of magical and scientific monstrosities in the name of "reshaping" the world.
48** There was the time [[ComicBook/{{Galactus}} the Gorgon]] showed up in orbit, threatening to encase the Earth in gray goo due to the taint of the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Terminus]].
49** The "Hot Zone," where the city came under quarantine after a villain released an airborne mutagen that resulted in most of the city developing superpowers...[[PowerIncontinence control not guaranteed]].
50** The Day of Wrath, where [[{{ComicBook/Brainiac}} Curator]]'s androids turned out to have replaced several heroes and caused brief chaos throughout the city with the help of the [[KillerRobot Foundry]]'s robots, followed by the rescue of those replaced.
51** The Terminus invaded Earth-Prime again in 2018. As with the canon invasion of 1993, this invasion provided the origin story for multiple [=PCs=].
52* CrossPlayer: Despite the real-life gender gap among the players, the gender ratio among the [=PCs=] is more or less even.
53* DysfunctionJunction: ''FCPBP'' has no shortage of emotional problems among the cast. (Or the players, for that matter.)
54* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Players who stick around over the long haul gain not only in-game bonuses, like power-ups or extra character slots, but also nifty titles like "Gold Status."
55* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: Superheroes work hard, play hard, live fast, and die young. But the staff requires that it be kept off-screen and PG-13.
56* EvilCounterpart: The world of Anti-Earth, where everyone who is good on Earth-Prime is evil. It includes the "Young Imperials," who are are the Evil Counterparts to [[KidHero Young Freedom]].
57* Fiction500: Several [=PCs=] rank among their number, including Asad, Ace Danger and many more.
58* FictionalCountry: Players have created a few.
59** "[[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny New Freedom]]," a [[BewareTheSuperman metahuman dictatorship]] on the coast of [[MysteriousAntarctica Antarctica]].
60** [[{{Qurac}} Socotra]], a [[JustForFun/XMeetsY mashup]] of [[{{Ruritania}} Latveria]] and [[ViceCity Madripoor]] off the coast of {{UsefulNotes/Yemen}}. The resident PresidentEvil is Typhoon, a [[MakingASplash hydrokinetic]], PoweredArmor wearing {{Expy}}/[[JustForFun/XMeetsY mashup]] of Doctor Doom and ComicBook/{{Magneto}}.
61* FifthWeekEvent: Several times a year, the Moderators announce "Vignettes" - short stories about a certain topic or in a certain style. Players can write the Vignettes about their characters for extra [[ExperiencePoints power points]].
62* FireForgedFriends: Many [=PCs=] bond this way, in times of danger and havoc, leading to deep appreciations of each other. Recently, the young heroes Archer II and Facsimile started bonding in this way, after having spent a short time antagonizing each other.
63* FiveManBand: On Young Freedom, Edge was TheHero, Blue Fox was TheLancer, Midnight was TheSmartGuy, Wander was TheBigGuy, and Cobalt Templar was TheHeart.
64%%** Most teams fall into this dynamic.
65* GenderBender:
66** Doc Otaku once tested a Gender Reversal Ray on Avenger, Dark Star, Doktor Archeville, Geckoman, and Wesley Knight. [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity Ensued]].
67** [[IncrediblyLamePun Earth-XX]] is an entire (player-created) AlternateUniverse of gender-swapped characters.
68* {{GMPC}}: Technically, Any [[PlayerCharacter PC]] has the potential to become this for any given story thread. Players are allowed to [[GameMaster GM]] their own threads, so the lines between "Player" and "Game Master" blur at ''FCPBP''. The overall atmosphere of the game is less "competitive" and more "cooperative." However, the Moderators have the final authority over any use of, or change to, any characters or locations from the canon setting.
69* HarmfulToMinors: While some [=PCs=] have backstories including traumatic childhood events, the minimum age for ''FCPBP'' [=PCs=] is 16, in order to avoid this happening on-screen.
70* HouseRules: ''FCPBP'' [[https://www.freedomplaybypost.com/start/ has them]]. They are constantly evolving. The Moderators are generally reasonable people, receptive to player input and willing to change.
71%%* HurricaneOfPuns: The ''FCPBP'' Discord server degenerates into this with embarrassing regularity.
72* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: [[LegacyCharacter Bee-Keeper II]], before he TookALevelInBadass and became a LethalJokeCharacter.
73* KidHero: The [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld students]] of the [[SuperheroSchool Claremont]] [[ElaborateUniversityHigh Academy]], especially the members of the resident {{Super Team}}s, the Next-Gen, the Alterniteens, and Young Freedom.
74* LegacyCharacter: ''FCPBP'' has a lot of them. Many are legacies of characters from the original TabletopGame/FreedomCity setting, including Scarab III, Raven III, Archer II and others, while others are original legacies unique to ''FCPBP'', such as Arrowhawk II. While no one character has claimed the name Centurion II, and likely won't, he has inspired several legacy characters, including Phalanx, Triakosia and Legatus.
75* LongRunners: ''FCPBP'' has been online since October of 2007.
76* MrFanservice: At any given time, the [[ElaborateUniversityHigh Claremont Academy]] tends to have more than its fair share of male students with world-class [[TheSixStats Charisma]] scores, manifesting all along the archetype spectrum, from TallDarkAndHandsome, to [[KnightInShiningArmor chivalrous and chaste]], to [[SillyLoveSongs free-spirited and artistic]], to [[ThePollyanna endlessly cheerful]].
77* MostCommonSuperpower: Surprisingly rare. It's usually the men who are {{pretty boy}}s, especially at the [[ElaborateUniversityHigh Claremont Academy]].
78%%* MusicalEpisode: ''FCPBP'' had one!
79* {{Mutants}}: The "Terminus Babies" concept created by Kit on the official ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' forum was integrated into the ''FCPBP'' canon, and it served as the MassSuperEmpoweringEvent for several [[PlayerCharacter PC]] heroes.
80* NotWearingTights: The Moderators specifically want to avoid this trope. This is a game about "superheroes", not "people with powers".
81* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: The Moderators also want to avoid this trope. {{Player Character}}s should fit better into the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse than they would into ''{{Series/Heroes}}''.
82* PlayEveryDay: This certainly isn't required, but it does help. Hitting 100 [[InAndOutOfCharacter in-character]] forum posts inside of one calendar month would gain a character the maximum possible ExperiencePoints for that month, and pulling it off once will get the player into the "[[ElitesAreMoreGlamorous 100 Club]]." This would require an average of 3-4 posts per day. Such a posting rate would also allow the player to start earning Veteran Rewards in under 6 months. But most players are not so prolific.
83* PsychoRangers: The Spectrum Knights are a player-created [[NonPlayerCharacter NPC]] villain group, a more politically-focused {{Expy}} of the [[Characters/GLRedLanternCorps Red Lantern Corps]] whose [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized Revolution Will Not Be Civilized]].
84* RandomNumberGod: ''FCPBP'' uses [[http://orokos.com/roll/ Orokos]] to resolve and keep track of die rolls.
85* {{Retcon}}: Usually {{Averted|Trope}}. Once a character is submitted and approved, they are a part of the ''FCPBP'' canon from that day forward. Exceptions are sometimes made, most often when a player is permanently banned from the site for bad behavior. In one case, a very active and well-liked player wanted to play a LegacyCharacter whose SuperHeroOrigin story would have been incompatible with the story established by a former player who had wandered off before making any significant impact on the site canon. In this specific case, the Moderators chose to retcon the previous player's character out of existence to make way for the new version.
86%%* RuleOfCool: ''FCPBP'' lives by this rule...
87%%* ScrewTheRulesIHavePlot: ...and this one.
88* SharedUniverse: The premise of the entire game. All story threads take place within the same [[TheVerse 'Verse]], unless [[{{Elseworld}} otherwise indicated]].
89* ShiningCity: As with the canon version, the ''FCPBP'' version of Freedom City is this. It is a city populated by heroes, the home of the Freedom League and by far the most active part of the setting.
90* ShoutOut:
91** '''C'''hris '''K'''enzie (Geckoman) and '''L'''iz '''L'''awlett (Spellbound) are deliberate references to another character whose mythos loves {{Alliterative Name}}s. His origin story involves a rocket crashing into a field, and he wears a large yellow letter on his chest.
92** Octoman, Geckoman's [[ImYourBiggestFan biggest fan]] and the closest thing he has to a [[LegacyCharacter legacy]], is '''B'''en '''W'''ang.
93** [[BaldOfAuthority Wail]] was named after Creator/KeithDavid and Creator/PhilLaMarr, the voices of [[{{WesternAnimation/Gargoyles}} Goliath]] and [[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited Green Lantern John Stewart]] (respectively).
94* ShowWithinAShow: Husband-&-wife duo Fast-Forward and Hologram host ''Supercrime!'', an {{Expy}} of ''{{Series/MythBusters}}'' that airs on the Creator/DiscoveryChannel. In one episode, the duo (and some accompanying heroes) went on a trip to 65 Million BCE to explore dinosaur-related superhero stories.
95%%* SouthernGothic: The flavor of Vibora Bay is equal parts this trope and TheBigEasy.
96* SpaceCop:
97** The Star Knights are a canon ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' {{Expy}} of the [[Franchise/GreenLantern Green Lantern Corps]].
98** The Praetorians are a player-created group. They're basically what happens when the [[{{ComicBook/Nova}} Nova Corps]] wakes up to find out that they SleptThroughTheApocalypse of Xandar, and they respond by [[ReTool retooling]] themselves into the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes.
99* SpaceOpera: The setting has expanded to incorporate adventures [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]. Roughly 1/3 of the [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] aren't active on Earth at all.
100* SuperheroGods: There are several among the [[PlayerCharacter PCs]], most notably [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Seth and Sekhmet]].
101* SuperheroesWearCapes: Depends very much on the character concept and actual costume of each hero. Notably, Phalanx founding member of Young Freedom and current member of the Liberty League, and one of the world's strongest heroes, wears a yellow cape.
102* SuperheroSchool: Freedom City has two:
103** Canonically, there is the Claremont Academy, an {{Expy}} of the [[ComicBook/XMen Xavier Institute]]. It is an ElaborateUniversityHigh, a BoardingSchool for [[KidHero teenage supers]]. (It is also usually the most active part of the setting.)
104** There is the player-created Nicholson School, an {{Expy}} of {{ComicBook/PS238}}, for younger supers. It is not primarily a BoardingSchool, but it does offer housing for those students who need it.
105* SuperpowerfulGenetics: Several [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] inherited their powers.
106* SuperTeam: The setting has several already, and the players have formed more.
107** The Freedom League (ComicBook/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}}, [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]): A primarily [[NonPlayerCharacter NPC]] team, although a few [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] are members.
108** The Interceptors (ComicBook/NewWarriors, ComicBook/{{The Outsiders|DCComics}}): This team has suffered several complete overhauls of its roster, with Jack of All Blades being the only constant member and the only remaining founder.
109** The Liberty League (ComicBook/InfinityInc): The heirs to [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden]] Age [[LegacyCharacter legacies]], and some characters who were actually there for the Golden Age. The team itself is an heir to the legacy of [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica the original Liberty League]], a canonical NPC team active during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
110** [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld Young Freedom]] ([[ComicBook/TeenTitans Titans]], ComicBook/XMen): A team of [[ElaborateUniversityHigh Claremont Academy]] students (see SuperheroSchool, above). Most of the [[KidHero teenage]] PC heroes belong to this team at some point. As old students graduate and new ones enroll, the roster changes regularly. It is a counterpoint to the [[InAndOutOfCharacter NPC]] KidHero teams, the Next-Gen and the Alterniteens.
111* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Especially in a play-by-post game. There are no other players sitting around the table to interrupt each other, so everyone gets a chance to [[LargeHam ham it up]]. However, since ExperiencePoints are awarded based on number of in-character posts made in a month, not by the length of individual posts, most players avoid full-blown [[WallOfText walls of text]].
112* ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet: {{Averted|Trope}}. Though cis men still make up the majority of the ''FCPBP'' player base, there are many prominent female-identified players and moderators.
113* ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil: Jack of All Blades died. He [[BackFromTheDead got better]]! Lately, though, he's NotHimself...Oh no! He CameBackWrong! [[TheCorruption Corrupted]] by {{Hellfire}}! ([[StatusQuoIsGod He got better from that, too]].)
114* ThouShaltNotKill: Mostly played straight, as [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] are not meant to be the kind of heroes that kill, but see WhatMeasureIsANonHuman, below. Standout examples of heroes that follow this rule include Queenie, Phalanx and Legatus.
115* ViceCity: Bedlam City is hopelessly corrupt and falling apart at every level.
116* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: [[SlidingScaleOfRobotIntelligence Robots]], [[TheUndead undead]], [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]], [[EldritchAbomination cosmic horrors]], and the like are explicit exceptions to this game's [[ThouShaltNotKill policy against killing]].
117* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield:
118** {{Averted|Trope}}. The location of Freedom City is officially left open in the books, but the developer stated that it was envisioned as being near Atlantic City, [[{{Joisey}} New Jersey]], and ''FCPBP'' adopted that location as canon.
119** The location of ''Bedlam City'' is also left open in the book, but ''FCPBP'' placed it in Wisconsin, about halfway between [[{{UsefulNotes/Milwaukee}} Milwaukee]] and Green Bay.
120** ''FCPBP'' kept the canon location of Vibora Bay in the [[{{UsefulNotes/Florida}} Florida]] Panhandle.
121* WideOpenSandbox: Freedom is a [[CityOfAdventure big city]], in an even bigger [[TheVerse multiverse]].

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