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It began a century ago in the wake of The Great War. While the world recovered from its devastating conflict, scientists in the United States of America made a wondrous discovery; a mutant gene present in some individuals that granted incredible, unique abilities. The American government suppressed this information while simultaneously conducting experiments on these individuals. 

The fruits of their research gave birth to the Super Soldier Project and its early successes during the height of the Second World War. Decades of continued immoral experimentation run by the US military and CIA finally culminated in the early 1960s, leading to a series of Congressional inquiries, and, ultimately, the public revelation of mutant kind. 

Although a massive cultural and political shift in the American landscape, humanity would face an even larger encounter with the unknown just five decades later. In 2010, sixteen cities across the globe came under siege as an invasionary force from the stars descended on Earth. The Chitauri swarm, commanded by their queen, swept across these cities with unprecedented destructive force. 

The Earth's military might proved largely ineffective against the seemingly unending hordes, and complete conquest seemed in sight. Pocket conflicts began to rise, however, across the globe as mutant kind began to rise up and take a stand against the invaders. A handful of individuals wielding mighty powers followed suit in New York City, taking the fight directly to the mothership above the United Nations building. The resistance was short and brutal, but ultimately effective as the Chitauri queen was killed in battle, causing the complete disarray of the invading army. 

Hundreds of thousands lost their lives in the brief forty-four hours of that first contact war. Tens of millions more were directly affected by the devastation. 

From there, the world quickly changed. In America, the enhanced individuals responsible for the defeat of the alien queen were recruited by the National Security Council into a fledgling initiative to defend the United States against future assaults. SHIELD, a former spy agency mothballed in the 1980s, was resurrected for similar purposes. Calls for new weapons of mass destruction capable of fending off planetary incursions led to the formation of the Sentinel Program. And a renewed spark in super soldiers gave rise to a superhuman arms race undertaken by private corporations and industrialists. 

In the immediate months following the invasion, reports of vigilantism skyrocketed. Social media became flooded with the notion of the superhero. In the twelve years since the Chitauri's onslaught, acts of powered and costumed individuals became commonplace. 

The world had entered the...

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Hello, and welcome. Age of Marvels is intended to be a collaborative sandbox roleplay with linear story elements that will create a living, breathing world and narrative for us all to enjoy together. Previous comic fandom games have, in my opinion, suffered from a significant issue: too little narrative focus. While individual storytellers have been able to excel in writing their own arcs, these often prove to be isolated stories far removed from the rest of the world that the roleplays are set in. I have in the past attempted to solve this with strict linear elements, tightly controlled settings, and smaller groups. I feel my solutions then were too 'railroad-y' despite my desire to maintain player autonomy. So, in Age of Marvels, I have devised a new method to encourage greater collaborative storytelling and worldbuilding: mini-events. 

Mini-events will be semi-linear plots initially crafted by GM hands and then opened to player direction. A 'checklist' of sorts will be provided in the OOC as a guiding tool for how to successfully resolve these events, but ultimately how each event is dealt with and completed is up to the players who choose to become involved. The freedom will be yours to decide how they are settled, regardless of how positive or negative the outcomes. It will then be my job as GM to take what occurred in each event and incorporate it into the narrative at large as well as let it affect which future events pop up.

These mini-events will be broken into three categories: [color=lime]minor[/color], [color=yellow]moderate[/color], and [color=orange]major[/color]. 

A [color=lime]minor event[/color] is just that; mostly insignificant in the grand scheme. They can range from simple jewelry heists or reckless driving to pedestrians suffering from a medical emergency. These lower-tier events won't require more than one or maybe two players to get involved, and likely can be wrapped up within two posts at most. The purpose of minor events is to encourage IC activity, allow for more mundane interaction between heroes, and fill in the world's narrative with smaller detailed moments.

[color=yellow]Moderate events[/color] are ones that can accommodate a few players. They will often feature typical street-level events such as armed bank robberies, gang war activity, or a singular costumed villain putting civilians at risk. These events can take more than a few collective posts between all responding players to resolve, and the outcomes will have a more noticeable effect on the game's progressing story. These will be the most common mini-event and offer a decent jumping-off point for players unsure how and where to start with their characters. 

[color=orange]Major events[/color] will have a more direct and lasting impact on the narrative of the RP. These city-level events might catch the attention of four or more players who have to separate into two or more groups in order to find a safe resolution. They'll also have multiple problems to them, and present a significant threat to the city they are located in. These events can range from devastating natural disasters to nuclear meltdowns or assaults on the government and planned assaults by powerful villains. 

Furthermore, as the RP progresses, the fourth kind of event will be introduced. A [color=red]crisis event[/color] will pose a nationwide, planetwide, or galaxywide threat. Much like the Chitauri invasion, these events will have massive ramifications and dramatically affect all player characters whether directly involved or not. These will be all-hands-on-deck situations and serve as a call to action for all actively accepted members of the roleplay. As such, [color=red]crisis events[/color] will be few and far between, often posing as an endcap to previously established and enduring story beats or serving as the kickstart to a new direction in the narrative.

My goal for these mini-events is to always have one available every two weeks to a month, depending on how long the previous last. While you won't be forced to participate in any, it is highly encouraged. Collaborative worldbuilding will be the name of the game here, and these linear elements will be the most direct way to do so.
 [hr][center][h3][color=red]R U L E S[/color][/h3][/center][hr]

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[*] Players are allowed one character concept at a time. Group and team concepts are allowed. These concepts must be of canon characters pulled from any mainstream Marvel comics, shows, movies, or other products. This does not include franchises like Transformers or Star Wars that Marvel has been licensed to sell in the past. Likewise, these concepts must not be villainous in nature. Anti-heroes are acceptable.
[*] Applications will be reviewed and considered 48 hours after their completed submission. If a competing character concept is applied for within that 48-hour window, all concepts will be reviewed and considered once it has been 48 hours following the final completed competing sheet's submission. An OOC statement of the [i]intent[/i] to compete within that initial 48-hour window will be allowed, but if no completed sheet is submitted within 24 hours then the application review process will continue.
[*] You are free to reimagine characters as you see fit, so long as they follow the previous rules. This means you can take characters that are canonical villains in the comics and turn them heroic (e.g., heroic Juggernaut), or gender bend (e.g., female Daredevil), or place another character entirely into a hero's iconic suit (e.g., Happy Hogan as Iron Man). All I ask is that you try not to warp the character so far that they're entirely unrecognizable from their original mainstream interpretation.
[*] Once accepted, players will have a degree of say in the approval of concepts that constitute their 'legacies.' This means an already accepted Captain America player could inform the GM that a submitted Winter Soldier application conflicts with the story they are trying to tell, and as a result that concept may need to be changed. Please do your best to collaborate and compromise in this regard, but previously accepted 'parent' applications will have higher priority.
[*] This is the Advanced Roleplay section. As such, Advanced Roleplay guidelines should be followed. That means a heavier focus on character development, longer posts (a minimum of two, although ideally three to five, well-developed paragraphs), in-depth and thought-out plots, and "a dedicated effort to minimize typographical errors and to use good grammar." While I'm not expecting anyone here to write a novel, I will hold you to a higher standard than what would be expected in other roleplay sections.
[*] Posting once within a two-week (14-day) period is required. If circumstances prevent this, please let me know. While I will likely excuse the first instances, routinely posting late will get you removed from the active roster. A week after being dropped to inactive status without any further posts will result in your character concept being unaccepted and steps taken within the IC to resolve any conflicts with your character. While I am very understanding of life getting in the way, and I'll work with you on solutions if you inform me of issues, I do not take kindly to players ghosting my RPs. Please consider in advance whether or not you have the ability and desire to keep up with these expectations. When you submit a character sheet and I accept you, I am trusting you to be committed and consistent, or, at the very least, respectful to my time and the time of others.
[*] All Guild rules apply here. Keep your smut locked away in the deepest recesses of your internet browser like the rest of us.
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[hider=Character Sheet Format Coding][quote][code][CENTER][h1][color=slategray][b]A L I A S[/b][/color][/h1][h r]
[img]IMAGE/BANNER[/img][h3][sup][sub][color=slategray]B I R T H N A M E   [color=slategray]♦[/color]   O C C U P A T I O N   [color=slategray]♦[/color]   L O C A T I O N   [color=slategray]♦[/color]   A F F I L I A T I O N[/color][/sub][/sup][/h3][img]IMAGE/BANNER[/img]
[/CENTER][COLOR=slategray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R   C O N C E P T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][h r][/COLOR]
[CENTER][sup][color=slategray]"Witty Quote"[/color][/sup][/CENTER]
[INDENT][INDENT][I]This should be a summary of the character and your general outline for the concept at the start of the game. It does [i]not[/i] need to be a lengthy, detailed play-by-play of your character's entire history. I mainly want to see the core idea behind your concept, the significant diversions from source material you're making, and how you've reimagined the character. Please highlight any specific changes in origin, identity, or goals. Any insights into important story arcs and direction you'll take the character can also go here.

[color=gold]* As superheroism didn't exist until 12 years ago post-invasion, please tell me roughly when your character began operating as a vigilante/costumed hero.[/color][/i][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=slategray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R   N O T E S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][h r][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]This is a section you can use to clarify powersets, [b]list dedicated NPCs you'll be using[/b], place your own personal timeline for your character, or any other relevant notes you feel the GM or other players should know.[/i][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=slategray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S A M P L E   P O S T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][h r][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]This is an advanced roleplay, so please let your sample reflect the quality and content of your posts. Just a few paragraphs to give me a glimpse into how you plan to write the character are all that is needed, and you can choose to turn this sample into a post in the IC later. Please include at least one line of dialogue and/or an 'action' scene that'll best represent your imagined concept. This is mainly so that I can see if your writing meets the requirements for the advanced section.[/i][/indent][/indent]
[COLOR=slategray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]P O S T   C A T A L O G:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][h r][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]This section is not necessary, but a procedural listing of your linked posts will make it much easier and more convenient for all involved.[/i][/indent][/indent][/code][/quote]

Remove the space between h r in the code above to get the intended effect. Alter the color scheme as you desire.

[sub]Credit goes to [@Lord Wraith] for the initial formatting which I have since butchered.[/sub][/hider]