Just a basic idea my gaming group and I thought of, since we primarily play Mutants And Masterminds.
Back in the late '60s, this world's equivalent of SHIELD finally began to realize that the idea of superpowered individuals wouldn't be going away any time soon. (In this world, there was no Golden Age; the first hero [an Expy of the Flash] appeared in the 50s).
So the powers what is came up with an intriguing idea: An international special-ops branch of (the Expy of) SHIELD, composed of superhumans. Some of 'em were already-existing superheroes; some are individuals who've developed powers, but haven't been running around in costume; others were created "in-house", as it were. Since the world's a bit of a Fantasy Kitchen Sink, there are usually variant origins as well (whether mutant, alien, lab accident, etc.)
The characters' costumes are primarily semi-military (think the various Sneaking Suits from the Metal Gear series, or Nick Fury's blue and white uniform), and most of them have some bare-bones military training (those without military/law enforcement backgrounds go through a basic 3-week course offered by the agency). As a result, they're capable of surviving if their powers conk out on them via Plot Device, but they're hardly Batman or the Spetsnaz.
Since most of their missions are covert, most of their storylines would be more like Warren Ellis' Planetary than The Avengers. I see it as a mix of a Heroes Unlimited setting, with a splash of Mission Impossible (so we get to play different characters for different settings).
edited 25th Jan '13 2:28:56 PM by RedneckRocker
Embroiled in slave rebellion, I escaped crucifixion simply by declaring 'I am Vito', everyone else apparently being called 'Spartacus'.
Just a basic idea my gaming group and I thought of, since we primarily play Mutants And Masterminds.
Back in the late '60s, this world's equivalent of SHIELD finally began to realize that the idea of superpowered individuals wouldn't be going away any time soon. (In this world, there was no Golden Age; the first hero [an Expy of the Flash] appeared in the 50s).
So the powers what is came up with an intriguing idea: An international special-ops branch of (the Expy of) SHIELD, composed of superhumans. Some of 'em were already-existing superheroes; some are individuals who've developed powers, but haven't been running around in costume; others were created "in-house", as it were. Since the world's a bit of a Fantasy Kitchen Sink, there are usually variant origins as well (whether mutant, alien, lab accident, etc.)
As one agent described HWB, "these guys do the heroic stuff that doesn't end up on the front page of the Daily Planet".
The characters' costumes are primarily semi-military (think the various Sneaking Suits from the Metal Gear series, or Nick Fury's blue and white uniform), and most of them have some bare-bones military training (those without military/law enforcement backgrounds go through a basic 3-week course offered by the agency). As a result, they're capable of surviving if their powers conk out on them via Plot Device, but they're hardly Batman or the Spetsnaz.
Since most of their missions are covert, most of their storylines would be more like Warren Ellis' Planetary than The Avengers. I see it as a mix of a Heroes Unlimited setting, with a splash of Mission Impossible (so we get to play different characters for different settings).
edited 25th Jan '13 2:28:56 PM by RedneckRocker
Embroiled in slave rebellion, I escaped crucifixion simply by declaring 'I am Vito', everyone else apparently being called 'Spartacus'.